Related papers: Hanle effect in the solar Ba II D2 line: a diagnos…
Magnetic fields are the primary driver of the plasma thermodynamics in the upper solar atmosphere, especially in the corona. However, magnetic field measurements in the solar corona are sporadic, thereby limiting us from the complete…
The quantum theory of polarized light allows one to model scattering in the solar atmosphere for inferring its properties. This powerful approach has revealed two key long-standing problems in solar physics: the puzzling dilemmas between…
Resonance lines that are sensitive to the Hanle effect are prominent in the UV spectra of early-type stars. To understand the differences from the solar application of the Hanle effect, we focus on the formation of P-Cygni lines both as a…
We derive exact expressions for the degree of lineal polarization over a resolved or integrated stellar disc due to resonance scattering and the Hanle effect from a dipolar or quadrupolar distribution of magnetic fields. We apply the theory…
In this paper I will discuss new magnetic field diagnostics and instrumentation for an area of astrophysics where magnetic field observations have been difficult - circumstellar material. Such diagnostics would be particularly relevant to…
Is it physically feasible to perform chromospheric diagnosis using spatial maps of scattering polarization at the solar disk center? To investigate it we synthesized polarization maps (in 8542 Angstroms) resulting from MHD solar models and…
The magnetic field vector of the solar corona is not regularly and comprehensively being measured, because of the complexity and degeneracy inherently present in the types of observations currently available. To address some of the current…
The Mg II k resonance line is commonly used for diagnosing the solar chromosphere. We theoretically investigated its intensity and polarization in solar prominences, taking 3D radiative transfer and Hanle and Zeeman effects into account. We…
Recent theoretical investigations have pointed out that the cores of the Ly-alpha lines of H I and He II should show measurable scattering polarization signals when observing the solar disk, and that the magnetic sensitivity, through the…
Analysis of the Hanle effect in solar molecular lines allows us to obtain empirical information on hidden, mixed-polarity magnetic fields at subresolution scales in the (granular) upflowing regions of the `quiet' solar photosphere. Here we…
The Hanle effect has been proposed as a new diagnostic of circumstellar magnetic fields for early-type stars, for which it is sensitive to field strengths in the 1-300 G range. In this paper we compute the polarized P-Cygni line profiles…
Magnetic fields are important for stellar photospheres and magnetospheres, influencing photospheric physics and sculpting stellar winds. Observations of stellar magnetic fields are typically made in the visible, although infrared…
Several strong resonance lines, such as H I Ly-$\alpha$, Mg II k, Ca II K, Ca I 4227 \AA\, which are characterized by deep and broad absorption profiles in the solar intensity spectrum, show conspicuous linear scattering polarization…
This paper addresses the modelling issue of the linearly-polarized solar limb spectrum, which is due to scattering processes and it offers a rich diagnostic potential for exploring solar magnetic fields via the Hanle effect. However, this…
We take a broad look at the problem of identifying the magnetic solar causes of space weather. With the lackluster performance of extrapolations based upon magnetic field measurements in the photosphere, we identify a region in the near UV…
Measurements of interplanetary magnetic fields have long relied on spacecraft measurements, which provide only in-situ sampling and therefore cannot capture the global magnetic structure. Faraday rotation of radio signals extends in-situ…
Hanle-effect observations of forbidden coronal line transitions and recently also longitudinal Zeeman-effect measurements of coronal lines show quantitative signatures of the weak coronal magnetic field. The interpretation of these…
The linear polarization produced by scattering processes in the hydrogen Lyman alpha line of the solar disk radiation is a key observable for probing the chromosphere-corona transition region (TR) and the underlying chromospheric plasma.…
Observational astrophysics started when spectroscopy could be applied to astronomy. Similarly, observational work on stellar magnetic fields became possible with the application of spectro-polarimetry. In recent decades there have been…
The linear polarization pattern produced by scattering processes in the Ca I resonance line at 4227 angstroms is a valuable observable for probing the solar atmosphere. Via the Hanle effect, the very significant Q/I and U/I line-center…