Definition
Scattering is a process in which a photon, or a particle, interacts with an atom, molecule, or particle and emerges in a different direction without, or with only a slight, difference in energy. In the interstellar medium, radiative scattering plus absorption by dust grains (in which the photon’s energy is converted into heat and possibly lower energy radiation) combine to produce extinction. In planetary atmospheres, scattering by molecules and cloud particles plays an important role in the diffuse reflection and transmission of radiation.
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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Irvine, W.M. (2015). Scattering. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1408
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44185-5_1408
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