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Polarimetry as a Diagnostic of Circumstellar Envelopes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Karen S. Bjorkman
Karen S. Bjorkman*
Affiliation:
Ritter Observatory, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA

Abstract

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Polarimetric observations of stars can provide useful diagnostics of the geometry and physical conditions of the circumstellar envelope. This paper reviews the application of polarimetric techniques to hot stars (with particular emphasis on Be stars) and the status of polarization observations, and discusses some recent developments that improve our ability to make and to interpret such observations. Polarization measurements, bolstered by the increasing availability of new instruments on larger telescopes, continue to improve toward both higher signal-to-noise ratio and higher spectral resolution. Because of this we can begin to address specific questions of the physics of the circumstellar envelopes, since polarization provides a means to separate the effects of the photosphere from those of the envelope. New theoretical and analytic approaches are improving our ability to interpret spectropolarimetric data. We now are able to determine characteristics such as disk opening angle, density, and temperature. Furthermore, polarimetric observations in new wavelength regimes (e.g. ultraviolet and infrared) are opening new avenues to investigate circumstellar disks. The combination of spectropolarimetry with other kinds of data, such as spectroscopy, photometry, and interferometry, shows promise for providing stringent tests for theoretical models of the circumstellar envelopes of Be stars.

Type
6. Disks
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 175: The Be Phenomenon in Early-Type Stars , 2000 , pp. 384 - 395
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2000

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