Frequency Redistribution of Polarized Light in the Lambda-Type Multi-Term Polarized Atom

TL;DR

This paper investigates how Rayleigh and Raman scattering influence polarized spectral line formation in complex atomic systems, accounting for frequency redistribution and atomic polarization effects, with applications to astrophysical spectral lines.

Contribution

It introduces a formalism that fully incorporates partial frequency redistribution and atomic polarization in modeling polarized spectral lines in b1-type multi-term atoms.

Findings

The formalism applies to Ca II H-K and IR triplet lines.

It models Lyb2-Hb1 systems in hydrogenic ions.

Provides a comprehensive approach to polarized line formation.

Abstract

We study the effects of Rayleigh and Raman scattering on the formation of polarized spectral lines in a $\Lambda$-type multi-term atom. We fully take into account the partial redistribution of frequency and the presence of atomic polarization in the lower states of the atomic model. Problems that can be modeled with this formalism include, for example, the formation of the Ca II H-K and IR triplet, the analogous system of Ba II, and the Ly$\beta$-H$\alpha$ system of hydrogenic ions.