Polarization effects in the emission of a disk of accreting matter

Journal Article · Mon May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978 · Sov. Astron. AJ (Engl. Transl.); (United States)

OSTI ID:6467876

Gnedin, Y N; Silant'ev, N A

The emission of a disk of accreting matter is linearly polarized as a result of Thomson scattering. In the standard disk model the direction of vibrations of the electric vector lies in the orbital plane. A jump in the position angle of the plane of vibrations of the electric vector is possible upon the transition into zone c of the standard disk. Deviations from the standard disk lead to the following polarization effects :(1) a situation when the electric vector of the radiation vibrates in a plane perpendicular to the orbital plane is possible in a disk with convective heat transfer; (2) for a disk curved owing to the different orientations of the axes of rotation of the stars, one will observe rotation of the plane of vibrations of the electric vector as the emission frequency varies; (3) in the presence of a hot optically thick corona above the disk, the degree of linear polarization of the emerging radiation comprises approx.3/4 of the value expected for the standard model; (4) in the presence of a nonspherical optically thin corona near a black hole, one will observe a jump in the position angle upon a transition from the ''hot'' to the ''cold'' region of the disk; (5) the same jump can be observed for a spherically symmetric corona during its partial eclipse by the disk; (6) the presence of a strong magnetic field (Bapprox. =10/sup 7/--10/sup 8/ G) in the emission region of the disk leads both to partial depolarization of the emission due to Faraday rotation of the plane of polarization and to a considerable change in the polarization spectrum in comparison with the standard model, with the polarization spectrum also depending in principle on the geometry of the magnetic field; the limiting position of the plane of polarization makes a 45/sup 0/ angle with the plane of the line of sight and the normal to the orbit.

• Research Organization: A. F. Ioffe Physics and Technology Institute
• OSTI ID: 6467876
• Journal Information: Sov. Astron. AJ (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Journal Name: Sov. Astron. AJ (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Vol. 22:3; ISSN SAAJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BINARY STARS
BLACK HOLES
COSMIC RAY SOURCES
COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
INELASTIC SCATTERING
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NEUTRON STARS
POLARIZATION
SCATTERING
STAR ACCRETION
STAR EVOLUTION
STAR MODELS
STARS
STELLAR RADIATION
THOMSON SCATTERING