A successive order of scattering code for solving the vector equation of transfer in the earth's atmosphere with aerosols

The paper presents in detail a code developed to solve the vector equation of radiative transfer. It is based on the successive orders of scattering and on the expansion into Fourier series of the azimuth; it includes the polarizing effects of aerosol scattering and of reflectance by water or terrestrial surfaces. The code is available from the authors upon request, and this detailed description aims at helping potential users to adapt the code to their own problem. Some examples of applications are given.