Related papers: Polarization of Rayleigh scattered Ly{\alpha} in a…
Raman scattering by atomic hydrogen converts the UV continuum around Ly$\beta$ into optical continuum around H$\alpha$, and the basic atomic physics has been discussed in several works on symbiotic stars. We propose that the same process…
The high-redshift Universe contains luminous Lyman Alpha (hereafter Lya) emitting sources such as galaxies and quasars. The emitted Lya radiation is often scattered by surrounding neutral hydrogen atoms. We show that the scattered Lya…
Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) is a powerful astrophysical probe. Not only is it ubiquitous at high redshifts, it is also a resonant line, making Ly$\alpha$ photons scatter. This scattering process depends on the physical conditions of the gas…
A line photon incident in an electron-scattering medium is transferred in a diffusive way both in real space and in frequency space, and the mean number of scatterings changes as the wavelength shifts from the line center. This leads to the…
We have investigated the linear polarisation of Lya transferred in a static, dustless, and thick plane-parallel slab that is uniformly filled with neutral hydrogen. Because the scattering phase function is characterised by the dipole type…
We compute the polarization of the Lyman alpha line photons emerging from an anisotropically expanding and optically thick medium, which is expected to operate in many Lyman alpha emitting objects including the primeval galaxy DLA~2233+131…
In many symbiotic stars there appear broad wings around H alpha, of which the formation mechanism proposed thus far includes a fast outflow, the inner accretion disc motion, electron scattering and Raman scattering of Ly beta. We adopt a…
We derive a formalism to describe the scattering of polarized radiation over the full spectral range encompassed by atomic transitions belonging to the same spectral series (e.g., the H I Lyman and Balmer series, the UV multiplets of Fe I…
Ly-alpha emitting galaxies and giant Ly-alpha blobs (LABs) have been extensively observed to study the formation history of galaxies. However, the origin of their extended Ly-alpha emission, especially of LABs, remains controversial.…
The process of the elastic scattering of photons on atoms, known as the Rayleigh scattering, is investigated. Expressing the scattering observables in terms of the electric and magnetic complex scattering amplitudes, we work over the…
To understand the mechanism behind high-$z$ Ly${\alpha}$ nebulae, we simulate the scattering of Ly${\alpha}$ in a $\rm H\,I$ halo about a central Ly${\alpha}$ source. For the first time, we consider both smooth and clumpy distributions of…
The elastic Rayleigh scattering of twisted light and, in particular, the polarization (transfer) of the scattered photons have been analyzed within the framework of second-order perturbation theory and Dirac's relativistic equation. Special…
Optical spectropolarimetry of the nucleus of the LINER NGC 1052, obtained at the Keck Observatory, reveals a rise in polarization in the wings of the H-alpha line profile. The polarization vector of H-alpha is offset by 67 degrees from the…
Some bright cD galaxies in cluster cooling flows have Thomson optical depths exceeding 0.01. A few percent of their luminosity is scattered and appears as diffuse polarized emission. We calculate the scattering process for different…
Evolved late-type stars are frequently identified as photometric and spectroscopic variables, such as Mira-type or semi-regular variable objects. These stars can also be polarimetrically variable, an indicator of non-spherical geometry for…
Optical spectropolarimetry and broadband polarimetry in other wavebands has been a key to understanding many diverse aspects of AGN. In some cases polarization is due to synchrotron radiation, and in other cases it's due to scattering.…
We have discovered scattered broad Balmer emission lines in the spectrum of Cygnus A, using the Keck II telescope. Broad H-alpha appears in polarized flux from components on either side of the nucleus, and to a lesser extent in the nucleus.…
A relativistic analysis of the polarization properties of light elastically scattered by atomic hydrogen is performed, based on the Dirac equation and second order perturbation theory. The relativistic atomic states used for the…
Ly$\alpha$ emission is the strongest tracer of recombining ionized hydrogen in young, star-forming galaxies, but its origin is still debated. Ly$\alpha$ arises when emitted photons scatter in neutral hydrogen and, so far, observational…
"Ly$\alpha$ nebulae" are giant ($\sim$100 kpc), glowing gas clouds in the distant universe. The origin of their extended Ly$\alpha$ emission remains a mystery. Some models posit that Ly$\alpha$ emission is produced when the cloud is…