Radiative source-function predictions for finite and semi-infinite non-conservative atmospheres

The probabilistic method of Sobolev and Case's method of normal mode expansion are combined to predict source-function distributions for radiative transfer in non-conservative, planeparallel atmospheres. The solutions obtained for semi-infinite atmospheres are exact and can be expressed in terms of functions and parameters associated with the non-conservative Milne problem. The predictions for finite atmospheres are approximate and are constructed from the semi-infinite solutions. Tabular values of the requisite functions and parameters are provided to facilitate rapid numerical evaluation of the solutions. Although the finite solutions corresponds to the zeroth-order (optically thick) approximation by Case's method, an assessment of the accuracy indicates that the results are useful for optical thicknesses as small as one or even less. The close connection between the results obtained and the method of point-direction gain of Van de Hulst is discussed.