Detection of submillimeter size particles in the inner coma of a comet through their forward scattering

During the occultation of a star by the inner coma region of a comet, specific forward-scattering effects could be observable if submillimeter size particles contribute significantly to the net extinction of star light. In this paper we investigate the possibility of detecting the signature of such particles by observing the dependence of extinction on the angular size of the acceptance aperture used at the focal plane of the telescope. Calculations based on a simple model assuming spherically-symmetric and homogeneous coma are presented.