EigenFlux: A Radiative Transfer Model for Systems with High Asymmetries

Abstract The study of how light and radiation propagate through various mediums, such as the atmosphere, pigments, or water, is of interest to diverse research communities including atmospheric physics and chemistry, meteorology, climate research, astronomy, remote sensing, material science for painting and coating, oceanography, hydrology, and graphics rendering. Despite its widespread applicability, to the best of our knowledge there is no effective multi-stream algorithm capable of handling strongly backward or forward scattering systems with asymmetries exceeding ±0.95. This paper introduces the EigenFlux system, presenting its derivation and implementation. The system incorporates a Mesh Approximates multistream and eigenvalue decomposition, ensuring numerical stability through a natural reflectance condition. The article concludes with numerical demonstrations showcasing the method’s range and precision.