Image Details
Caption: Fig. 1.
Schematic diagram of photon propagation through an atmosphere. A total luminosity Ltot is released deep in the atmosphere at a perpendicular optical depth ﹩\tau _{\perp }\,\gg \, 1﹩. It then scatters many times, occasionally changing polarization, until it finally escapes. The sample photon represented in this figure converted from perpendicular to parallel at ﹩\tau _{\parallel }\,< \,( \omega _{c}/\omega ) ﹩ and was still in the parallel mode when it escaped.
© 1995. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.