Inversions of Stokes profiles revisited
Abstract
The last thirty years have witnessed the appearance of a number of techniques that have revolutionized our way to measure magnetic fields, namely, the so-called inversions of the radiative transfer equation techniques. Starting from simple models and solutions of the transfer equation and ending with sophisticated processes including full numeric solution of the equation and instrumental effects at the same time, passing through different model approaches and mathematical tools, inversion techniques have become common usage for solar observers. A revision of the ideas, hypotheses, advantages, limitations, and constraints behind inversions is presented, beginning with critical reviews of commonly accepted approximations that are becoming useless as long as new instrumentation is providing better and better observables. The advent of state-of-the-art computing tools increase our capabilities for finer analyses of these new observations.
- Publication:
-
40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014cosp...40E.666D