Polarization Profiles of Scattered Emission Lines. I. General Formalism for Optically Thin Rayleigh Scattering
Abstract
A general theoretical framework is developed for interpreting spectropolarimetric observations of optically thin emission line scattering from small dust particles. Spatially integrated and spatially resolved line profiles of both scattered intensity and polarization are calculated analytically from a variety of simple kinematic models. These calculations will provide a foundation for further studies of emission line scattering from dust and electrons in such diverse astrophysical environments as Herbig-Haro objects, symbiotic stars, starburst galaxies and active galactic nuclei.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- May 1994
- DOI:
- 10.1086/174140
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/9403025
- Bibcode:
- 1994ApJ...427..288H
- Keywords:
-
- Active Galactic Nuclei;
- Astronomical Polarimetry;
- Herbig-Haro Objects;
- Linear Polarization;
- Radiative Heat Transfer;
- Rayleigh Scattering;
- Starburst Galaxies;
- Stellar Envelopes;
- Symbiotic Stars;
- Emission Spectra;
- Flux Density;
- Line Of Sight;
- Monte Carlo Method;
- Optical Thickness;
- Radial Velocity;
- Astrophysics;
- ISM: DUST;
- EXTINCTION;
- LINE: FORMATION;
- POLARIZATION;
- RADIATIVE TRANSFER;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 18 pages, LaTeX, (uuencoded compressed postscript figures [648kB] available from author [will@astroscu.unam.mx]), accepted for publication in Ap.J., IAUNAM contrib.#339