Coronal emission line polarization

Abstract

A discussion of a program for the computation of coronal emission line polarization is presented. The starting point is a general formulation of the scattering function for magnetic dipole transitions between any two total angular momentum levels, J → J, J ± 1. Illustration of the behavior of the scattering function for different transitions is given. The integration of the scattering function over the solar disk and along the line of sight accounting for arbitrary distribution of magnetic fields as well as an inhomogeneous temperature and density structure of the corona is considered next. Sample results are presented for the numerical computation of the angle of maximum polarization and the degree of maximum polarization to be expected from idealized magnetic field configurations such as radial and dipole. A computation is included for a realistic field configuration predicted to exist at the time of the 1966 eclipse. The magnetic field input to the scattering calculation is based upon the potential field extension of photospheric magnetic fields. It is the purpose of the sample calculations to demonstrate how the measurement of emission polarization measurements can be interpreted in terms of the direction of coronal magnetic fields. Factors which lend ambiguity to such interpreations are clearly illustrated from the examples. These include the Hanle-effect depolarization and the depolarization at the Van Vleck angle.