Definition
Radiative transfer is the theory describing how electromagnetic radiation is created, transmitted, absorbed, and scattered in a medium such as a planetary atmosphere, stellar photosphere, or interstellar medium. The medium can emit, absorb, and scatter radiation with a behavior that could vary strongly with wavelength according to the different species composing the medium and their physical state.
Overview
In astrophysics, if we except the objects of the solar system visited by probes, the intrinsic properties of a celestial object must be derived from the only available information: the observed radiation. To interpret the spectrum that is emerging from the atmosphere of a planet, an interstellar cloud or from the outer layer of a star, called the photosphere, it is necessary to model not only the production of radiation at any point of the medium but also the way it is locally absorbed or scattered in any direction. The emerging radiation, which the observer will collect,...
Keywords
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences and Further Reading
Chandrasekhar S (1960) Radiative transfer. Dover, New York
Gray DF (2008) The observation and analysis of stellar photospheres. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Rutten RJ (2002) Radiative transfer in stellar atmospheres
Sobolev VV (1975) Light scattering in planetary atmospheres (trans: Irvine WM). Pergamon Press, Oxford
Thomas GE, Stamnes K (1999) Radiative transfer in the atmosphere and ocean. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
Rouan, D. (2015). Radiative Transfer. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1336
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1336
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-44184-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-44185-5
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics