Radiative Transfer On Discrete Spaces

Pure and Applied Mathematics, Volume 74: Radiative Transfer on Discrete Spaces presents the geometrical structure of natural light fields. This book describes in detail with mathematical precision the radiometric interactions of light-scattering media in terms of a few well established principles. Organized into four parts encompassing 15 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the derivations of the practical formulas and the arrangement of formulas leading to numerical solution procedures of radiative transfer problems in plane-parallel media. This text then constructs radiative transfer theory in three ways. Other chapters consider the development of discrete radiative transfer theory from the local interaction principle. This book discusses as well the development of continuous radiative transfer theory. The final chapter deals with the task of formulating a mathematical foundation for radiative transfer theory. This book is a valuable resource for researchers in the field of radiative transfer theory whose interests transcend the physical and numerical aspects of the interaction of light with matter.

This book is dedicated to the formulation and solution of forward and inverse problems related to coupled media, and provides examples of how to solve concrete problems in environmental remote sensing of coupled atmosphere-surface systems. The authors discuss radiative transfer in coupled media such as the atmosphere-ocean system with Lambertian as well non-Lambertian reflecting surfaces at the lower boundary. The spectral range from the ultraviolet to the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum is considered, as are multi-spectral as well as hyperspectral remote sensing, while solutions of the forward problem for unpolarized and polarized radiation are discussed in detail.

This book discusses analytic and asymptotic methods relevant to radiative transfer in dilute media, such as stellar and planetary atmospheres. Several methods, providing exact expressions for the radiation field in a semi-infinite atmosphere, are described in detail and applied to unpolarized and polarized continuous spectra and spectral lines. Among these methods, the Wiener–Hopf method, introduced in 1931 for a stellar atmospheric problem, is used today in fields such as solid mechanics, diffraction theory, or mathematical finance. Asymptotic analyses are carried out on unpolarized and polarized radiative transfer equations and on a discrete time random walk. Applicable when photons undergo a large number of scatterings, they provide criteria to distinguish between large-scale diffusive and non-diffusive behaviors, typical scales of variation of the radiation field, such as the thermalization length, and specific descriptions for regions close and far from boundaries. Its well organized synthetic view of exact and asymptotic methods of radiative transfer makes this book a valuable resource for both graduate students and professional scientists in astrophysics and beyond.

Developments in three-dimensional cloud radiation over the past few decades are assessed and distilled into this contributed volume. Chapters are authored by subject-matter experts who address a broad audience of graduate students, researchers, and anyone interested in cloud-radiation processes in the solar and infrared spectral regions. After two introductory chapters and a section on the fundamental physics and computational techniques, the volume extensively treats two main application areas: the impact of clouds on the Earth's radiation budget, which is an essential aspect of climate modeling; and remote observation of clouds, especially with the advanced sensors on current and future satellite missions.

Aimed at the senior undergraduate and graduate level, this textbook fills the gap between general introductory texts offering little detail and very technical, advanced books written for mathematicians and theorists rather than experimentalists in the field. The result is a concise course in atmospheric radiative processes, tailored for one semester. The authors are accomplished researchers who know how to reach their intended audience and provide here the content needed to understand climate warming and remote sensing for pollution measurement. They also include supplementary reading for planet scientists and problems. Equally suitable reading for geophysicists, physical chemists, astronomers, environmental chemists and spectroscopists. A solutions manual for lecturers will be provided on www.wiley-vch.de/supplements.

This updated edition provides a foundation of theoretical and practical aspects of radiative transfer for students and researchers in atmospheric, oceanic and environmental sciences.