The polarization of Alpha Orionis. I - Interpretation of broadband measures.

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

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Polarimetry, Starspots, Stellar Radiation, Supergiant Stars, Convection, Limb Darkening, Photosphere, Stellar Models, Stellar Spectra, Stellar Temperature

Scientific paper

An attempt is made to establish the cause of Alpha Orionis' intrinsic polarization on the basis of spectropolarimetric data, where both the time-dependent behavior and the wavelength dependence of polarization at any given time indicate the presence of photospheric hotspots akin to Schwarzschild convection cells. In the present hotspot-based model, the polarization is produced by the action of the asymmetric radiation field generated by such a cell on the scattering region above the photosphere. For a given spatial density of optically thin scatterers, polarization is controlled by the spot's size, position, and temperature parameters. Polarization changes across molecular absorption bands of TiO can be accounted for in terms of the changes in limb darkening that occur within these features. In the second part of this paper, the single convection cell model is generalized by allowing two or more spots to be present simultaneously, thereby allowing both the degree and the position angle of polarization to be wavelength-dependent.

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