Spectropolarimetry for planetary exploration

Abstract

The characterization of aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere is important, because of their impact on public health and climate. This requires a new generation of accurate space-based instruments that measure the atmospheric radiance and polarization at multiple wavelengths and scattering angles. This thesis describes the development, characterization, and field-deployment of such an instrument, the Spectropolarimeter for Planetary EXploration (SPEX).