Radiative transfer

About: Radiative transfer is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 43287 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1176539 citations.

ITS: the integrated TIGER series of electron/photon transport codes-Version 3.0

Abstract: The ITS system is a powerful and user-friendly software package permitting state-of-the-art Monte Carlo solution of linear time-independent coupled electron/photon radiation transport problems, with or without the presence of macroscopic electric and magnetic fields of arbitrary spatial dependence. Version 3.0 is a major upgrade of the system with important improvements in the physical model, variance reduction, I/O, and user friendliness. Improvements to the cross-section generator include the replacement of Born-approximation bremsstrahlung cross section with the results of numerical phase-shift calculations, the addition of coherent scattering and binding effects in incoherent scattering, an upgrade of collisional and radiative stopping powers, and a complete rewrite to Fortran 77 standards emphasizing Block-IF structure. Improvements in the Monte Carlo codes are also described. >

Radiative Hydrodynamic Models of the Optical and Ultraviolet Emission from Solar Flares

Abstract: We report on radiative hydrodynamic simulations of moderate and strong solar flares. The flares were simulated by calculating the atmospheric response to a beam of nonthermal electrons injected at the apex of a one-dimensional closed coronal loop and include heating from thermal soft X-ray, extreme ultraviolet, and ultraviolet (XEUV) emission. The equations of radiative transfer and statistical equilibrium were treated in non-LTE and solved for numerous transitions of hydrogen, helium, and Ca II, allowing the calculation of detailed line profiles and continuum emission. This work improves on previous simulations by incorporating more realistic nonthermal electron beam models and includes a more rigorous model of thermal XEUV heating. We find that XEUV back-warming contributes less than 10% of the heating, even in strong flares. The simulations show elevated coronal and transition region densities resulting in dramatic increases in line and continuum emission in both the UV and optical regions. The optical continuum reaches a peak increase of several percent, which is consistent with enhancements observed in solar white-light flares. For a moderate flare (~M class), the dynamics are characterized by a long gentle phase of near balance between flare heating and radiative cooling, followed by an explosive phase with beam heating dominating over cooling and characterized by strong hydrodynamic waves. For a strong flare (~X class), the gentle phase is much shorter, and we speculate that for even stronger flares the gentle phase may be essentially nonexistent. During the explosive phase, synthetic profiles for lines formed in the upper chromosphere and transition region show blueshifts corresponding to a plasma velocity of ~120 km s-1, and lines formed in the lower chromosphere show redshifts of ~40 km s-1.

A Gray-Radiation Aquaplanet Moist GCM. Part I: Static Stability and Eddy Scale

Abstract: In this paper, a simplified moist general circulation model is developed and used to study changes in the atmospheric general circulation as the water vapor content of the atmosphere is altered. The key elements of the model physics are gray radiative transfer, in which water vapor and other constituents have no effect on radiative fluxes, a simple diffusive boundary layer with prognostic depth, and a mixed layer aquaplanet surface boundary condition. This GCM can be integrated stably without a convection parameterization, with large-scale condensation only, and this study focuses on this simplest version of the model. These simplifications provide a useful framework in which to focus on the interplay between latent heat release and large-scale dynamics. In this paper, the authors study the role of moisture in determining the tropospheric static stability and midlatitude eddy scale. In a companion paper, the effects of moisture on energy transports by baroclinic eddies are discussed. The authors ...

X-ray reflected spectra from accretion disk models. iii. a complete grid of ionized reflection calculations

Abstract: We present a new and complete library of synthetic spectra for modeling the component of emission that is reflected from an illuminated accretion disk. The spectra were computed using an updated version of our code xillver that incorporates new routines and a richer atomic data base. We offer in the form of a table model an extensive grid of reflection models that cover a wide range of parameters. Each individual model is characterized by the photon index Gamma of the illuminating radiation, the ionization parameter zeta at the surface of the disk (i.e., the ratio of the X-ray flux to the gas density), and the iron abundance A(sub Fe) relative to the solar value. The ranges of the parameters covered are: 1.2 <= Gamma <= 3.4, 1 <= zeta <= 104, and 0.5 <= A(sub Fe) <= 10. These ranges capture the physical conditions typically inferred from observations of active galactic nuclei, and also stellar-mass black holes in the hard state. This library is intended for use when the thermal disk flux is faint compared to the incident power-law flux. The models are expected to provide an accurate description of the Fe K emission line, which is the crucial spectral feature used to measure black hole spin. A total of 720 reflection spectra are provided in a single FITS file suitable for the analysis of X-ray observations via the atable model in xspec. Detailed comparisons with previous reflection models illustrate the improvements incorporated in this version of xillver.

Monte Carlo radiative transfer in protoplanetary disks

Abstract: Aims.We present a new continuum 3D radiative transfer code, MCFOST, based on a Monte-Carlo method. MCFOST can be used to calculate (i) monochromatic images in scattered light and/or thermal emission; (ii) polarisation maps; (iii) interferometric visibilities; (iv) spectral energy distributions; and (v) dust temperature distributions of protoplanetary disks. Methods: .Several improvements to the standard Monte Carlo method are implemented in MCFOST to increase efficiency and reduce convergence time, including wavelength distribution adjustments, mean intensity calculations, and an adaptive sampling of the radiation field. The reliability and efficiency of the code are tested against a previously-defined benchmark, using a 2D disk configuration. No significant difference (no more than 10% and usually much less) is found between the temperatures and SEDs calculated by MCFOST and by other codes included in the benchmark. Results: . A study of the lowest disk mass detectable by Spitzer, around young stars, is presented and the colours of "representative" parametric disks compared to recent IRAC and MIPS Spitzer colours of solar-like young stars located in nearby star-forming regions.