POLARIZATION SPECTRA OF EXTRASOLAR PLANETS

摘要

We present numerically simulated visible to near-infrared spectra of the flux (irradiance) and degree of linear polarization of starlight that has been reflected by Jupiter-like extrasolar planets. The results indicate that polarization spectra are more sensitive to the composition and structure of the planetary model atmosphere than flux spectra. We conclude that polarization observations will not only be very useful for detecting extrasolar planets, but also for characterizing their atmospheres.