Polarization in nature, science and technology

Abstract

In contrast to colour humans seem to be blind for polarization. But polarized light is all-around us and is widely used in nature. I would like to give you a deeper inside into the polarization of light and to show you that even humans are not so blind it is assumed. In my presentation an overview is given about the polarization of visible and near infrared light in nature. An historical abstract of the discovery of polarized light is presented. The processes producing polarized light as well as its 'usage' in nature is shown. A short introduction will provide an inside, how polarization is treated in science by solving the radiative transfer equation. The focus is put here on remote sensing. The problems which arise due to polarization for remote sensing optical technology are pointed out. At the end I show you an application of polarization measurements with POLDER/ADEOS from space to derive aerosol characteristics. And I hope to give the evidence that even you can see in polarization.