Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Mar 1984
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1984mnras.207....1m&link_type=abstract
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (ISSN 0035-8711), vol. 207, March 1, 1984, p. 1-8.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
15
Optical Polarization, Stellar Radiation, Variable Stars, Cyclotron Radiation, Magnetic Fields, Optical Thickness, Shock Fronts
Scientific paper
The temperature structure and optical thickness of the shock front in AM Herculis type systems are analyzed assuming that the polarized radiation arises from the front as a consequence of its temperature gradient. The shock front is found to change from being optically thick at a density-independent critical value. For a typical temperature of 20 keV, a viewing angle of 60 degrees, and an observed range of field strengths of about 2-3 x 10 to the 7th G, a critical value of about eight, corresponding to a wavelength range of 6700-4450 A, is obtained. This critical value corresponds closely to the value above which the cyclotron emission region is observed to become optically thin in VV Puppis. The polarization predicted for optically thick cyclotron radiation from the shock front are similar to the maximum values observed in AM Herculis type systems. The polarization is independent of the shock density and is also insensitive to the detailed temperature structure of the shock front.
Meggitt M. A. S.
Wickramasinghe Dayal T.
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