Light Scattering by Systems of Radially Inhomogeneous Atmospheric Particles.

The characteristics of light scattering by polydisperse systems of atmospheric particles with a smooth radial inhomogeneity of the refractive index are considered and are compared with the corresponding characteristics of polydisperse systems of homogeneous and two-layer particles. It is shown that the total light attenuation by such systems is insensitive to the internal structure of the particles and is determined by the volume-averaged value of the refractive index. The most characteristic difference between the light-scattering properties of systems of radially inhomogeneous particles and those of homogeneous and two-layer particles lies in the significantly different behavior of the angular dependences of the degree of linear polarization and the f//4//3 element of the reduced scattering matrix, especially at scattering angles greater than 155 degree .