Assessment of the CRD approximation for the observer's frame RIII redistribution matrix

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the accuracy of using the CRD approximation for the RIII redistribution matrix in modeling scattering polarization signals in solar atmospheric lines, combining analytic and numerical methods.

Contribution

It provides a quantitative assessment of the RIII CRD approximation's validity for polarization modeling in realistic atmospheric conditions.

Findings

RIII CRD approximation is adequate for intensity profile modeling.

The approximation's validity varies depending on the specific line and atmospheric conditions.

Analytic and numerical comparisons highlight the approximation's limitations for polarization signals.

Abstract

Approximated forms of the RII and RIII redistribution matrices are frequently applied to simplify the numerical solution of the radiative transfer problem for polarized radiation, taking partial frequency redistribution (PRD) effects into account. A widely used approximation for RIII is to consider its expression under the assumption of complete frequency redistribution (CRD) in the observer frame (RIII CRD). The adequacy of this approximation for modeling the intensity profiles has been firmly established. By contrast, its suitability for modeling scattering polarization signals has only been analyzed in a few studies, considering simplified settings. In this work, we aim at quantitatively assessing the impact and the range of validity of the RIII CRD approximation in the modeling of scattering polarization. Methods. We first present an analytic comparison between RIII and RIII CRD. We then compare the results of radiative transfer calculations, out of local thermodynamic equilibrium, performed with RIII and RIII CRD in realistic 1D atmospheric models. We focus on the chromospheric Ca i line at 4227 A and on the photospheric Sr i line at 4607 A.