Optics of Cosmic Dust: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Held in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, 16-19 November 2001 (NATO Science Series ... Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry Book 79)

**Optics of Cosmic Dust** describes what we currently know about cosmic dust, how we know it, and the research efforts undertaken to provide that knowledge. Areas treated include observational information, dust morphology and chemistry, light-scattering models, characterisation methodologies, and backscatter polarisation and dynamics. Suitable as an introductory text, the book is also a reference guide for the advanced researcher. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv In the Kitchen of Dust Modeling....Pages 1-36 Infrared Spectroscopy of Cosmic Dust....Pages 37-56 Experimental Light Scattering Matrices Relevant to Cosmic Dust....Pages 57-70 Light Scattering Tools for Cosmic Dust Modeling....Pages 71-88 Fractal Aggregates in Space....Pages 89-102 Scattering of Light by a Sphere with an Arbitrary Radially Variable Refractive Index....Pages 103-118 Calculation of Optical Fields Inside Spheroidal Particles of Cosmic Dust: Comparison of Different Methods: GMT, T - Matrix, SVM....Pages 119-130 Thermal Effects of Radiation on Dust Particles....Pages 131-142 Size Distributions of Particles Obtained by Inversion of Spectral Extinction and Scattering Measurements....Pages 143-158 Simplified Solution of the Inverse Problem for Instantaneous Cometary Dust Size Distribution....Pages 159-170 Monte Carlo Modeling of Cometary Atmospheres Including Polarization....Pages 171-182 Atmospheric Extinction Derived from Cometary Observations....Pages 183-190 Photometric and Polarimetric Opposition Phenomena Exhibited by Solar System Bodies....Pages 191-224 Experimental Modeling of Opposition Effect and Negative Polarization of Regolith-Like Surfaces....Pages 225-238 Exact Results of the Vector Theory of Coherent Backscattering from Discrete Random Media: An Overview....Pages 239-260 Numerical Techniques for Backscattering by Random Media....Pages 261-282 The Effect of Radiation on the Motion of Meteoroids....Pages 283-300 Covariant Equation of Motion for a Particle in an Electromagnetic Field....Pages 301-312 Back Matter....Pages 313-320 Dust grains have been detected in almost all astronomical objects from the local environment of the Earth to very distant galaxies and quasars.