[Cosmo-torun] polarisation Re: some notes after today's talk - LDM

[Boud Roukema]

witam

We again some questions regarding circular polarisation (or more
generally, elliptical polarisation) from synchrotron radiation. See
Kennett & Melrose (1998) quoted/linked below. Also, see

   Radiative Processes in Astrophysics - Google Books Result
   by George B. Rybicki, Alan P. Lightman - 1991 - Science - 400 pages

   http://books.google.com/books?id=LtdEjNABMlsC&pg=PA180

"The first point to notice is that the radiation from a single
charge will be elliptically polarized, ... "

i'm sure the full book gives a physical explanation of this.

pozdr
boud


On Fri, 27 Feb 2009, Boud Roukema wrote:

> witam cosmo-torun
>
> * circular polarisation from synchrotron processes?
>
> Kennett & Melrose, 1998, PASA, 15, 211
> http://www.atnf.csiro.au/pasa/15_2/kennett/paper/node3.html
>
>> In some sources it may be that the relativistic
>> particles are electron-positron pairs (e.g., Wilson &
>> Weiler 1997). Electrons and positrons contribute with
>> the same sign to the linearly polarized component and
>> with the opposite sign to the circularly polarized
>> component. If the distributions of electrons and
>> positrons are the same the wave modes can have no
>> circular component and, more importantly, the intrinsic
>> circular polarization from the synchrotron radiation
>> sums to zero.
>
> So if we have different distributions of electrons and
> positrons, then we get a circular polarisation component.
>
> i'm sure there must be more basic texts on this subject...
>
> pozdr
> boud
>
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