Abstract
Circularly and linearly polarized radiation from inhomogeneous cyclotron emission regions with uniform magnetic field and temperature but different electron density profiles are studied. Calculations show that the inhomogeneous models generally produce larger polarization for low harmonics and smaller polarization for high harmonics compared to the homogeneous models. Polarization light curves for different inhomogeneous models with a wide variety of parameters are presented, providing handy theoretical results to compare with observations. The observed polarization light curves of ST LMi, EF Eri, and BL Hydri are fitted using an inhomogeneous model for the first time, and good fits are obtained, supporting the hypothesis that the cyclotron emission regions of AM Her systems have a complicated structure. 37 refs.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
