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Ultraviolet polarization measurements of Mars and the opacity of the Martian atmosphere*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2015

Andrew P. Ingersoll
Andrew P. Ingersoll*
Affiliation:
Division of Geological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif., U.S.A.

Abstract

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Ground-based polarimetric data taken near maximum elongation are presented. These data are analyzed assuming an optically thin, Rayleigh scattering atmosphere, and a surface whose polarization varies inversely as the surface albedo. The best fit to the data yields an optical depth for Rayleigh scattering corresponding to a surface pressure of 6 ± 1 mb, if carbon dioxide is the principal constituent. There is no need to postulate the existence of fine dust in the Martian atmosphere. This method is potentially capable of resolving elevation differences on the Martian surface.

Type
Part II: Mars
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 40: Planetary Atmospheres , 1971 , pp. 170 - 176
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1971 

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