A Method for Controlling the Reliability of On-Ground Polarimetric Measurements of the Atmosphere

Abstract

The processes that lead to formation of spatial distribution of polarization parameters in the Earth’s atmosphere are studied. Among the modern development of devices for atmospheric polarimetric measurements, the prospects for creating equipment for on-ground measurements are highlighted. A method is described for determining polarization parameters at the celestial hemisphere with use of data on the on-ground polarimetric measurements. A spatial diagram of the mutual location of the main components in the light-scattering process is provided. Formulas for calculating the angle (AoLP) and degree (DoLP) of the celestial linear polarization in the case of light scattering by a purely gaseous component of the atmosphere are given. The effect of changes in the characteristics of the atmospheric aerosol on the specified celestial polarization parameters is considered. The key idea of the proposed method for controlling the reliability of on-ground polarimetric measurements consists in using the stability of the spatial distribution of the AoLP parameter in the celestial hemisphere. The algorithm for such control is described and recommendations for its practical application are provided. The use of the DoLP parameter is indicated as an opportunity only for qualitative evaluation of the data of on-ground polarimetric measurements. Examples of visualization of the spatial distribution of celestial polarization parameters in the model environment for a selected position, date, and time of observation are given.