Abstract
Most of our knowledge on heterogeneous media in the Universe comes from the light they scatter. This light is mainly linearly polarized, and the polarization phase curves contain information about the properties of the scattering dust. In the solar system, the dust seems to be made of irregular aggregates with a size greater than a few microns and a fractal structure. Many constraints appear in the scattering computations, due to the trickiness of the mathematical calculations, and to our ignorance of the precise structure of the dust. This leads to the necessity to perform light scattering measurements on characteristic aggregates, built under low velocity ballistic collisions. Microgravity is a sensible way to achieve such measurements on a cloud of levitating and aggregating dust particles. A first step has been the PROGRA2 experiment, which operates during parabolic flights on an aircraft. The instrument is a polar nephelometer measuring successively the light scattered by a dust sample at various angles; it is fully operational, and will provide a data base of polarization phase curves. A second step is the CODAG-SR experiment, which uses the duration of a rocket flight to build up dust aggregates. The instrument measures simultaneously the light scattered at numerous phase angles; it is now space qualified, and should provide in a near future a monitoring of the intensity and polarization phase curves while the aggregation processes are taking place.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bar-Nun, A., Kleinfeld, I. and Ganor, E.: 1988, ‘Shape and optical properties of aerosols formed by photolysis of acetylene, ethylene and hydrogen cyanide', J. Geophys. Res. Vol. no. 93, pp. 8383–8387
Blum, J.: 1995, ‘Laboratory and space experiments to study pre-planetary growth', Adv. Space Res. Vol. no. 15–10, pp. 39–54
Blum, J., Henning, T., Cabane, M., Fonda, M., Giovane, F., Gustafson, B.A.S., Keller, H.U., Markiewicz, W., Levasseur-Regourd, A.C., Worms, J.C., Nuth, J.A, and Rogers, F.: 1996, ‘The concept of a facility for cosmic dust research on the International Space Station', in ESA Symposium on Space Station utilization ESA SP-385, Noordwijk, pp. 303–308
Bohren, C. and Huffman, D.: 1983, ‘Absorption and scattering of light by small particles', Wiley, New York
Botet, R., Rannou, P. and Cabane, M.: 1997, ‘Mean field scattering approximation of Mie scattering by fractal aggregates of identical spheres', Appl. Opt. Vol. no. 36, pp. 8791–8797
Brooke, T.Y., Knacke, R.F. and Joyce, R.R.: 1987, ‘The near-infrared polarization and color of cornet P/Halley', Astron. Astrophys. Vol. no. 187, pp. 621–624
Cabane, M., Chassefière, E. and Israël, G.: 1992, ‘Formation and growth of photochemical aerosols in Titan's atmosphere', Icarus Vol. no. 96, pp. 176–189
Cabane, M., Rannou, P., Chassefière, E. and Israël, G.: 1993, ‘Fractal aggregates in Titan's atmosphere', Planet. Space Sci. Vol. no. 41, pp. 257–267
Cabane, M., Chassefière, E. and Israël, G.: 1997, ‘Microphysical models of Titan's aerosols', in Huygens, Science, Payload and Mission ESA SP-1177, Noordwijk, pp. 339–345
Combet, P.P. and Lamy, P.: 1996, ‘Laboratory measurements of light scattering by dust particles', in Physics, Chemistry and Dynamics of Interplanetary Dust, ASP Conference Series, Vol. no. 104, pp. 409–413
Dollfus, A.: 1996, ‘Saturn's rings: optical reflectance polarimetry’ Icarus Vol. no. 124, pp. 237–261
Donn, B.: 1991, ‘The accumulation and structure of comets’ in Comets in the post Halley era, edited by Newburn Jr, R.L., Neugebauer M. and Rahe, J., Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp. 335–359
Draine, B.T.: 1988, ‘The discrete dipole approximation and its applications to interstellar graphite grains', Astrophys. J. Vol. no. 333, pp. 848–872
Draine, B.T. and Flatau, P.J.: 1994, ‘Discrete dipole approximation for scattering calculations', J. Opt. Soc. Am. A. Vol. no. 35, pp. 1491–1499
Drossart, P.: 1993, ‘Optics on a fractal surface and the photometry of the regoliths', Planet. Space Sci Vol. no. 41, pp. 381–393
Dwek, E.: 1997, ‘Can composite fluffy dust particles solve the interstellar carbon crisis?', Astrophys. J. Vol. no. 484, pp. 779–784
Ebisawa, S. and Dollfus, A.: 1993, ‘Dust in the martian atmosphere: polarimetric sensing', Astron. Astrophys. Vol. no. 272, pp. 671–686
Fogleman, G., Huntington, J.L., Carle, G.C. and Nuth, J.A.: 1989, ‘Microgravity particle research on the Space Station: the gas-grain simulation facility', Adv. Space Res. Vol. no. 9–2, pp. 91–94
Goidet-Devel, B., Renard, J.B. and Levasseur-Regourd, A.C.: 1995, ‘Polarization of asteroids. Synthetic phase curves and characteristic parameters', Planet. Space Sci. Vol. no. 43, pp. 779–786
Greenberg, J.M.: 1982, ‘What comets are made of? A model based on interstellar dust', in Comets, edited by LL. Wilkening, Tucson University Press, Tucson, pp. 131–163
Gustafson, B.A.S.: 1960, ‘Optical measurements of dust from laboratory scattering measurements', in Physics, Chemistry and Dynamics of Interplanetary Dust, ASP Conference Series, Vol. no. 104, pp. 401–408
Hadamcik E., Levasseur-Regourd, A.C., Worms, J.C. and Renard, J.B.: 1996, ‘Polarimetric measurements of scattered light by dust grains in Earth and microgravity conditions', in Physics, Chemistry and Dynamics of Interplanetary Dust, ASP Conference Series, Vol. no. 104, pp. 391–394
Hanner M.S, Lynch, D.K. and Russel, W.: 1994, ‘The 8–13 microns spectra of comets and the composition of silicate grains', Astrophys. J. Vol. no. 425, pp. 274–285
Hapke, B.: 1993, ‘Theory of reflectance and emittance spectroscopy', Cambridge University Press, New York
Henning, T. and Stognienko, R.: 1996, ‘Dust opacities for protoplanetary accretion disks: influence of dust aggregates', Astron. Astrophys. Vol. no. 311, pp. 291–303
Huijser, R.H., Scholten, J.R.M., Schelling, R., Postema, R.J., Aartman, L.J. and Pauly, J.F.: 1997, ‘CODAG-1: development of a sounding rocket module to study cosmic dust agglomeration', in European Rocket and Balloon Programmes ESA SP-397, Noordwijk, pp. 77–83
Keller, H.U., Blum, J., Donn, B., El Goresy, A., Fechtig, H., Feuerbacher, B.P., Grün, E., Ip, W.H., Kochan, H., Mann, I., Markiewicz, W.J., Metzler, K., Morfill, G.E., Ratke, L., Rott, M., Schwehm, G. and Weidenschilling, S.J.: 1993, ‘CODAG-Dust agglomeration experiment in micro-gravity', Adv. Space Res. Vol. no. 13–7, pp. 73–76
KenKnight, C., Rosenberg, D. and Wehner, G.: 1967, ‘Parameters of the optical properties of the lunar surface powder in relation to solar wind bombardment', J. Geophys. Res Vol. no. 72, pp. 3105–3129
Klinger, J., Levasseur-Regourd, A.C., Bouziani, N. and Enzian, A.: 1996, ‘Towards a model of cometary nuclei for engineering studies for future space missions to comets', Planet. Space Sci. Vol. no. 44–7, pp. 637–653
Lant, C.T., Smart, A.E., Cannell, D.S., Meyer, W.V. and Doherty, M.P.: 1997, ‘Physics of hard spheres experiment: a general-purpose light-scattering instrument', Appl. Opt. Vol. no. 36, pp. 7501–7507
Levasseur-Regourd, A.C.: 1992, ‘Polarimetry of cometary dust', in Observations and physical properties of small bodies in the solar system, edited by J.C. Gérard and J. Surdej, International Astrophysical Colloquia, Liège, pp. 141–148
Levasseur-Regourd, A.C.: 1996, ‘Optical and thermal properties of zodiacal dust', in Physics, Chemistry and Dynamics of Interplanetary Dust, ASP Conference Series, Vol. no. 104, pp. 301–308
Levasseur-Regourd, A.C., Hadamcik, E. and Renard, J.B.: 1996a, ‘Evidence for two classes of comets from their polarimetric properties at large phase angles', Astron. Astrophys. Vol. no. 313, pp. 327–333
Levasseur-Regourd, A.C., Blum, J., Henning, T., Poppe, T., Cabane, M., Haudebourg, V., Rannou, P. and Worms, J.C.: 1996b, ‘OPAL, a light scattering facility for optical measurements of dust samples', in ESA Symposium on Space Station Utilization, ESA SP-385, Noordwijk, pp. 401–404
Levasseur-Regourd, A.C., Cabane, M., Worms, J.C. and Haudebourg, V.: 1997, ‘Physical properties of dust in the solar system: relevance of a computational approach and of measurements under microgravity conditions', Adv. Space Res. Vol. no. 20–8, pp. 1585–1594
Lien, D.J.: 1991, ‘Optical properties of cometary dust', in Comets in the post Halley era, edited by Newburn Jr, R.L., Neugebauer M. and Rahe, J., Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp. 1005–1041
Lumme, K. and Rahola, J.: 1994, ‘Light scattering by porous dust particles in a discrete dipole approximation', Astrophys. J. Vol. no. 425, pp. 653–667
Lumme, K., Rahola, J. and Hovenier, J.W.: 1997, ‘Light scattering by dense clusters of spheres', Icarus Vol. no. 126, pp. 455–469
Macke, A., Mishchenko, M.I., Muinonen, K. and Carlson, B.E.: 1995, ‘Scattering of light by large non-spherical particles: ray tracing approximation versus T-matrix method', Opt. Lett. Vol. no. 20, pp. 1934–1936
McDonnell, J.A.M., Lamy, P.L. and Pankiewicz, G.S.: 1991, ‘Physical properties of cometary dust', in Comets in the post Halley era, edited by Newburn Jr, R.L., Neugebauer M. and Rahe, J., Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp. 1043–1073
Meakin, P.: 1983, ‘The Vold-Sutherland and Eden models for cluster formation', J. Colloid Interface Sci. Vol. no. 96, pp. 415–424
Meakin, P.: 1984, ‘Effects of cluster trajectories on cluster-cluster aggregation: a comparison of linear and brownian trajectories in two-and three-dimensional simulations', Phys. Rev. A. Vol. no. 29, pp. 997–999
Michael, B.P.: 1998, ‘Characterization of refractory particulates using light scattering methods in a microgravity environment', Thesis, University of Virginia
Minster, O.: 1995, ‘Facilities for microgravity investigations in physical sciences supported by ESA', ESA SP-1116, Noordwijk
Mishchenko, M.I., Travis, L.D. and Mackowski, D.W.: 1996, ‘T-matrix computations of light scattering by non-spherical particles: a review', J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. Vol. no. 55, pp. 535–575
Muinonen, K.: 1996, ‘Light scattering by gaussian particles', in Earth, Moon, and Planets Vol. no. 72, pp. 339–342
Muinonen, K., Nousainen, T., Fast, P., Lumme, K. and Peltoniemi, J.I.: 1996, ‘Light scattering by Gaussian random particles: ray optics approximation', J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transf. Vol. no. 55, pp. 577–601
Mukai, T., Mukai, S. and Kikuchi, S.: 1987, ‘Complex refractive index of grain material deduced from the visible polarimetry of comet P/Halley', Astron. Astrophys. Vol. no. 187, pp. 650–652
Rages, K., Pollack, J.B. and Smith, P.H.: 1983, ‘Size estimation of Titan's aerosols based on Voyager high phase angle images', J. Geophys. Res. Vol. no. 88, pp. 8721–8728
Rannou, P., Cabane, M. and Chassefière, E.: 1993, ‘Growth of aerosols in Titan atmosphere and related time scales: a stochastic approach', Geophys. Res. Lett. Vol. no. 20, pp. 967–970
Rannou, P., Cabane, M., Chassefière, E., Botet, R., McKay, C.P. and Courtin, R.: 1995, ‘Titan's geometric albedo: role of the fractal structure of the aerosols', Icarus Vol. no. 96, pp. 355–372
Rannou, P., Cabane, M., Botet, R. and Chassefière, E.: 1997, ‘A new interpretation of scattered light at Titan's limb', J. Geophys. Res. Vol. no. 102, pp. 10997–11013
Rogers, R.B., Meyer, W.V., Zhu, J., Chaikin, P.M., Russel, W.B., Li, M. Turner, W.B.: 1997, ‘Compact laser light-scattering instrument for microgravity research', Appl. Opt. Vol. no. 36, pp. 7493–7500
Rosenbush, V.K., Avramchuk, V.V., Rosenbush, A.E. and Mishchenko, M.: 1997, ‘Polarization properties of the galilean satellites of Jupiter', Astrophys. J. Vol. no. 487, pp. 402–414
Shkuratov, Y.G. and Opanasenko, N.V.: 1992, ‘Polarimetric and photometric properties of the Moon', Icarus Vol. no. 99, pp. 468–484
Tomasko, M.G. and Smith, P.H.: 1982, ‘Photometry and polarimetry of Titan', Icarus Vol. no. 51, pp. 65–94
Tomasko, M.G., Lemmon, M., Doose, L.R., Smith, P.H., Eibl, A. and West, R.A.: 1997, ‘Models of the penetration of sunlight into the atmosphere of Titan', in Huygens, Science, Payload and Mission ESA SP-1177, Noordwijk, pp. 339–345
Weidenschilling, S.J.: 1994, ‘Origin of comet nuclei as “rubble piles”', Nature Vol. no. 368, pp. 721–723
Weiss-Wrana, K., Giese, R.H. and Zerull, R.H.: 1985, ‘Microwave and laser facilities to determine scattering and color signatures related to the physical properties of dust particles', in Properties and interactions of interplanetary dust, edited by Giese R.H. and Lamy P., D. Reidel, Dordrecht, pp. 219–221
West, R.A., Lane, A.L., Hart, H., Simmons, K.E., Hord, C.W., Coffeen, D.L., Esposito, L.W., Sato, M. and Pomphrey, R.B.: 1983, ‘Voyager 2 photopolarimeter observations of Titan', J. Geophys. Res. Vol. no. 88, pp. 8699–8708
West, R.A.: 1991, ‘Optical properties of aggregate particles whose outer diameter is comparable to the wavelength', Appl. Opt. Vol. no. 30, pp. 5316–5324
West, R.A. and Smith, P.H.: 1991, ‘Evidence for aggregate particles in the atmospheres of Titan and Jupiter', Icarus Vol. no. 90, pp. 330–333
Wicek, F.: 1996, ‘Caractérisation de l'expérience SPICAM-Etoile', Thesis, University Paris VI
Widorn, T.: 1967, ‘Zur photometrischen Bestimmung der Durchmesser der kleinen Planeten', Ann. Univ. Sternw. Wien Vol. no. 27, pp. 112–119
Worms J.C., Levasseur-Regourd, A.C., Renard, J.B. and Hadamcik, E.: 1995, ‘Determination of the polarimetric phase function of light scattered by particles in microgravity', in Experiment results of ESA/CNES parabolic flight campaigns ESA WPP-90, Noordwijk, pp. 175–185
Worms J.C., Bourras, D., Hadamcik, E., Levasseur-Regourd, A.C. and Renard, J.B.: 1996, ‘Scattering properties of dust particles in weightlessness', in Physics, Chemistry and Dynamics of Interplanetary Dust, ASP Conference Series, Vol. no. 104, pp. 415–418
Worms, J.C.: 1997, ‘Relevance of microgravity for the study of light scattering by dust particles', Low G Journal Vol. no. 8–1, pp. 6–8
Xing Z. and Hanner, M.S.: 1996, ‘Modelling the temperature of cometary particles', in Physics, Chemistry and Dynamics of Interplanetary Dust, ASP Conference Series, Vol. no. 104, pp. 437–441
Xu, Y.L.: 1997, ‘Electromagnetic scattering by an aggregate of spheres: far field', Appl. Opt. Vol. no. 36, pp. 9496–9508
Zerull R.H., Gustafson, B.A.S., Schulz, K. and Thiele-Corbach, E.: 1993, ‘Scattering by aggregates with and without absorbing mantle: microwave analog experiments', Appl. Opt. Vol. no. 32, pp. 4088–4100
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Levasseur-Regourd, A., Cabane, M., Haudebourg, V. et al. Light Scattering by Dust Under Microgravity Conditions. Earth, Moon, and Planets 80, 343–368 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006390518381
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006390518381