Aspect ratio as a function of particle radius: Inversion of extinction and scattering data. (May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kocifaj, Miroslav; Kundracik, František
• Is Part Of: Atmospheric environment. Volume 109(2015)
• Page Start: 19
• Page End: 22
• Publication Date: 2015-05
• Subjects: Nonspherical particles -- Aspect ratio -- Light scattering -- Multispectral extinction data; Air -- Pollution -- Periodicals; Air -- Pollution -- Meteorological aspects -- Periodicals; 551.51
• DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.02.078
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1352-2310

Abstract

Abstract: The sun and sky photometry made concurrently or, alternatively, simultaneous measurements of extinction and scattering data both represent a valuable tool for gathering the information on aerosol particles. Most typically the size distribution and/or refractive index of aerosol particles can be inferred from multispectral and/or multiangle optical data. Extraction of size-dependent aspect ratio of aerosol particles from optical data is a highly non-trivial task since the kernel of the particular integral equation is a non-linear function of the sought solution. The iterative solution to this problem is introduced and demonstrated on synthetically generated data. It is shown that retrieval of size-dependent aspect ratio is possible even for complex morphologies, most typically for irregularly shaped dust particles. Highlights: A novel method for inversion of scattering and extinction data is developed. Size distribution and aspect ratio of nonspherical particles can be retrieved. Aerosol aspect ratio is determined iteratively if refractive index is a - priori known. The method is effective for large scattering angles including side and back scatter.