Infrared reflectance from mat surfaces.

A general theory is presented which segregates the rays composing the total reflectance from a mat surface according to their dependence on the intrinsic absorption coefficient. It is tested against experimental data obtained from samples of two materials (calcite and gypsum) which display a range of absorption band intensities over the 4-14-micro region. The ability of the theory to predict the different reflection behavior of bands of various intensities is demonstrated and considered important for explaining remote sensing data.