Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2003-06-03
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Accepted for publication in ApJS
Scientific paper
10.1086/376898
The measurement of radio polarization may be regarded as a three-dimensional statistical problem because the large photon densities at radio wavelengths allow the simultaneous detection of the three Stokes parameters which completely describe the radiation's polarization. The statistical nature of the problem arises from the fluctuating instrumental noise, and possibly from fluctuations in the radiation's polarization. A statistical model is used to derive the general, three-dimensional statistics that govern radio polarization measurements. The statistics are derived for specific cases of source-intrinsic polarization, with an emphasis on the orthogonal polarization modes in pulsar radio emission. The statistics are similar to those commonly found in other fields of the physical, biological, and Earth sciences. Given the highly variable linear and circular polarization of pulsar radio emission, an understanding of the three-dimensional statistics may be an essential prequisite to a thorough interpretation of pulsar polarization data.
No associations
LandOfFree
Three-Dimensional Statistics of Radio Polarimetry 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 Three-Dimensional Statistics of Radio Polarimetry, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Three-Dimensional Statistics of Radio Polarimetry will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-79484