A polarimetric search for ice crystals in the upper atmosphere of Venus
Published in Icarus 102, 62-75, doi:10.1006/icar.1993.1032 in 1993
G. P. Können, A. A. Schoenmaker and J. Tinbergen
Scanning the polarization of Venus at scattering angles 18-32° and at wavelengths 402-850 nm, we found a dip in polarization in the scattering angle range 23-25° for wavelengths 622 nm and longer. The width of the dip was 1-3°, its magnitude 0.4% in degree of polarization. The dip is consistent with the occurrence of a halo in the Venus atmosphere due to H2SO4-contaminated ice crystals in the upper haze layer of Venus. It remains unclear however why the halo is manifesting itself only at long wavelengths.