Inherent optical properties of the coccolithophore: Emiliania huxleyi.

A realistic nonspherical model for Emiliania huxleyi (EHUX) is built, based on electron micrographs of coccolithophore cells. The Inherent Optical Properties (IOP) of the EHUX are then calculated numerically by using the discrete dipole approximation. The coccolithophore model includes a near-spherical core with the refractive index of 1.04 + m(i)j, and a carbonate shell formed by smaller coccoliths with refractive index of 1.2 + m(i)j, where m(i) = 0 or 0.01 and j(2) = -1. The reported IOP are the Mueller scattering matrix, backscattering probability, and depolarization ratio. Our calculation shows that the Mueller matrices of coccolithophores show different angular dependence from those of coccoliths.