Spectro-polarimetric interferometry (SPIN) of magnetic stars

Details Spectro-polarimetric interferometry (SPIN) of magnetic stars Spectro-polarimetric interferometry (SPIN) of magnetic stars

Feb 2000

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000a%26a...354..595r&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics, v.354, p.595-604 (2000)

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

10

Instrumentation: Interferometers, Techniques: Polarimetric, Techniques: Spectroscopic, Stars: Magnetic Fields

Scientific paper

Stellar magnetic fields are usually studied by spectropolarimetric analysis of the Zeeman effect across spectral lines. Such studies are often limited by the net detectable polarization after averaging the small scale magnetic structures over the photospheric disk of the star. In this paper we examine the possibility to use optical long baseline interferometry to overcome this limitation for a partially or fully resolved star which, in the case of the brightest Ap and Bp stars, demands milliarcsecond resolutions achievable at 50 m baselines at least in the visible. We develop a simple geometrical model of magnetic stars from which we derive the intensity maps and their corresponding interferometric observables across Zeeman-split lines. The accuracy of the interferometric signal phase must be better than 0.5o (hence a relative accuracy of 0.1%), which limits the technique to brightest magnetic stars (m_V <= 2) for operating interferometers. Nevertheless, this limiting magnitude can reach m_K <= 8-10 for 8-m class planned interferometers. These foreseeable possibilities open new areas for studying slowly rotating magnetic stars or those sources possessing complex structures over their visible disk, otherwise undetectable by classical spectropolarimetry.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Spectro-polarimetric interferometry (SPIN) of magnetic stars does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Spectro-polarimetric interferometry (SPIN) of magnetic stars, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Spectro-polarimetric interferometry (SPIN) of magnetic stars will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1491158