The technique for solving the problem of light backscattering by ice crystals of cirrus clouds by the physical optics method for a lidar with zenith scanning

Abstract

The technique for solving the problem of light backscattering by the physical optics method is considered. Recommendations on carrying out a preliminary estimation of the contribution of geometrical optics beams are given to reduce the list of beams that are necessary for the calculation by a factor of hundreds. The presented empirical estimating formulas and recommendations on choosing the optimum step of numerical integration make it possible to considerably reduce the resource intensity of the physical optics method for specified microphysical models of hexagonal crystalline particles. The obtained results of solving the light scattering problem are freely available in the form of a databank of Mueller matrices.