Flux and Polarization Reflected from a Rayleigh-Scattering Planetary Atmosphere

In order to interpret the flux and polarization phase curves of the radiation reflected from a planet, one quite naturally will look at the results of Rayleigh scattering. Up to the present there have been no accurate calculations of the phase curves for both flux and polarization. The solutions to the equation of radiative transfer for scattering according to a Rayleigh phase matrix were accurately integrated over the visible crescent. Results are presented for various optical thicknesses and ground albedos.