  Context. Kepler observations have revealed a class of short period
exoplanets, of which Kepler-1520 b is the prototype, which have comet-like dust
tails thought to be the result of small, rocky planets losing mass. The shape
and chromaticity of the transits constrain the properties of the dust particles
originating from the planet's surface, offering a unique opportunity to probe
the composition and geophysics of rocky exoplanets.
  Aims. We aim to approximate the average Kepler long-cadence light curve of
Kepler-1520 b and investigate how the optical thickness and transit
cross-section of a general dust tail can affect the observed wavelength
dependence and depth of transit light curves.
  Methods. We developed a new 3D model that ejects sublimating particles from
the planet surface to build up a dust tail, assuming it to be optically thin,
and used 3D radiative transfer computations that fully treat scattering using
the distribution of hollow spheres (DHS) method, to generate transit light
curves between 0.45 and 2.5 $\mu$m.
  Results. We show that the transit depth is wavelength independent for
optically thick tails, potentially explaining why only some observations
indicate a wavelength dependence. From the 3D nature of our simulated tails, we
show that their transit cross-sections are related to the component of particle
ejection velocity perpendicular to the planet's orbital plane and use this to
derive a minimum ejection velocity of 1.2 kms$^{-1}$. To fit the average
transit depth of Kepler-1520 b of 0.87%, we require a high dust mas-loss rate
of 7 $-$ 80 M$_\oplus$ Gyr$^{-1}$ which implies planet lifetimes that may be
inconsistent with the observed sample. Therefore, these mass-loss rates should
be considered to be upper limits.
