Issue |
A&A
Volume 452, Number 2, June III 2006
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 669 - 683 | |
Section | Planets and planetary systems | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20054364 | |
Published online | 22 May 2006 |
Integrating polarized light over a planetary disk applied to starlight reflected by extrasolar planets
1
Astronomical Institute “Anton Pannekoek”, University of Amsterdam, Kruislaan 403, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands e-mail: D.M.Stam@sron.nl
2
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Received:
17
October
2005
Accepted:
19
January
2006
We present an efficient numerical method for integrating planetary radiation over a planetary disk, which is especially interesting for simulating signals of extrasolar planets. Our integration method is applicable to calculating the full flux vector of the disk-integrated planetary radiation, i.e. not only its observed flux (irradiance), but also its state of polarization (linear and circular). Including polarization is important for simulations of the light reflected by a planet, in particular, because this will generally be polarized. Our integration method is based on the expansion of the radiation field of a spherical, horizontally homogeneous planet into generalized spherical functions. With the expansion coefficients, the flux vector of the disk-integrated, reflected starlight can be obtained rapidly for arbitrary planetary phase angles. We describe the theory behind the disk-integration algorithm and results of accuracy tests. In addition, we give some illustrative examples of the application of the algorithm to extrasolar planets.
Key words: methods: numerical / polarization / radiative transfer / stars: planetary systems
© ESO, 2006
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.