Microwave brightness temperature of lunar cratered surface and inversions of physical temperature profile and thickness of regolith layers

Based on the multi-channel brightness temperature observations of Chinese Chang'E-1 lunar satellite, inversions of the physical temperature profile of the lunar regolith medium and its layer thickness are discussed. As examples of two areas along the lunar equator and along the line of longitude 150°W the correspondence of the brightness temperature distribution to the lunar topography digital elevation mapping (DEM)is demonstrated, especially around lunar polar regions under poor solar illumination. Using a three-layer model of thermal radiative transfer, the physical temperature profile of regolith layer and its thickness are inverted. The results are compared with an empirical formulation of the physical temperature as a function of latitude based on some Apollo measurements.