Analysis of Twilight Background Polarization Directions across the Sky as a Tool for Multiple Scattering Separation

TL;DR

This paper investigates how twilight sky polarization directions relate to scattering processes, confirming a method to separate single and multiple scattering, which aids in studying the upper mesosphere's temperature and properties.

Contribution

It validates a polarization-based method for distinguishing scattering contributions in twilight sky observations, enabling better analysis of the upper mesosphere.

Findings

Polarization direction depends on scattering ratios.

Method accuracy is confirmed through analysis.

Mesosphere temperature data from 2011-2014 are presented.

Abstract

The direction angle of twilight sky background polarization in the celestial sphere points far from solar vertical is found to depend on the ratio of single and multiple scattering contributions. The polarization direction behavior during the twilight is related with general properties of background components and can be used to check the accuracy of their separation method. The basic assumptions of this method are confirmed by analysis made in this paper. This helps to hold the temperature and scattering medium study in the upper mesosphere, the least accessible layer of the Earth's atmosphere. The mesosphere temperature data obtained during the observations from 2011 till 2014 are also presented.