Radiative transfer through arbitrarily shaped optical media. Part I: a general method of solution

Abstract

The technique developed incorporates a two-dimensional Fourier transform of the radiative transfer equation and a full Fourier expansion in azimuth. The general solution is based on the use of invariant imbedding principles in the form of doubling and adding algorithms. The principles of invariance are derived for three-dimensional geometry. The method is applied to two special problems, namely the reflection by an atmosphere overlying or surface possessing an albedo step function and the transfer through an inhomogeneous Gaussian shaped medium. -from Author