Related papers: A Statistical Inference Method for Interpreting th…
In this lecture note, we make the case for new (spectro)polarimetric measurements of "changing-look" AGNs (CLAGNs), a subclass of the AGN family tree that shows long-term (months to years) large flux variability associated with the…
The efficient release of magnetic energy in astrophysical plasmas, such as during solar flares, can in principle be achieved through magnetic diffusion, at a rate determined by the associated electric field. However, attempts at measuring…
Aims: The polarization of the Ca II resonant doublet (H and K lines) and the subordinate infrared triplet lines are key observables for diagnosing solar chromospheric magnetism. It is thus necessary to understand the physical mechanisms…
Scattering polarization signals offer a unique diagnostics of the physical conditions in the solar atmosphere, in particular magnetic fields via the Hanle effect. However, their spatial structure remains poorly constrained due to the…
This paper is based on a dataset of many strongly polarized solar lines belonging to the ''second solar spectrum'', i.e. the spectrum near the limb in linear scattering polarization. The observations were done at the Pic du Midi Turret Dome…
Aims: This paper extends previous studies in modeling time varying linear polarization due to axisymmetric magnetic fields in rotating stars. We use the Hanle effect to predict variations in net line polarization, and use geometric…
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…
The dynamic atmosphere imposes challenges to ground-based cosmic microwave background observation, especially for measurements on large angular scales. The hydrometeors in the atmosphere, mostly in the form of clouds, scatter the ambient…
Scattering polarization signals in the Sr I 4607 \AA\ spectral line are among the strongest originating from the solar photosphere, offering a powerful diagnostic of tangled magnetic fields in the 3--300 G range via the Hanle effect.…
We investigate the main physical mechanisms that shape the intensity and polarization of the Ba II D1 line at 4934 angstroms via radiative transfer numerical experiments. We focus especially on the scattering linear polarization arising…
This paper considers the problem of modeling the light polarization that emerges from an astrophysical plasma composed of atoms whose excitation state is significantly influenced by the anisotropy of the incident radiation field. In…
This article presents an introduction to optical pumping, atomic polarization and the Hanle effect in weakly magnetized stellar atmospheres. Although the physical processes and the theoretical framework described here are of interest for…
Magnetic fields in turbulent, convective high-$\beta$ plasma naturally develop highly tangled and complex topologies---the solar photosphere being the paradigmatic example. These fields are mostly undetectable by standard diagnostic…
(Abridged) The goal of this work is to investigate if SiO, H2O and HCN maser emission within the ALMA frequency range can be detected with observable levels of fractional linear polarization in the regime where the Zeeman frequency (gOmega)…
Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) spectra provide insights into the small-scale structure and kinematics of neutral hydrogen (HI) within galaxies as well as the ionization state of the intergalactic medium (IGM). The former defines the intrinsic…
The complex spectropolarimetric patterns around strong chromospheric lines, the result of subtle spectroscopic and transport mechanisms, are sensitive, sometimes in unexpected ways, to the presence of magnetic fields in the chromosphere,…
One of the greatest challenges in solar and stellar physics in coming years will be to observe the Second Solar Spectrum with a spatial resolution significantly better than 1 arcsec. This type of scattering polarization observations would…
Our understanding of coronal phenomena, such as coronal plasma thermodynamics, faces a major handicap caused by missing coronal magnetic field measurements. Several lines in the UV wavelength range present suitable sensitivity to determine…
We investigate the correlations between the observed fraction of Lyman alpha emission from star-forming galaxies and the large scale structure by post-processing snapshots of a large, high resolution hydrodynamical simulation with a Lyman…
Here we report on the first observational investigation of the Zeeman effect in the G band around 4305 A. Our spectropolarimetric observations of sunspots with the Zurich Imaging Polarimeter at the IRSOL facility confirm our previous…