2004/03/10 by Giorgio Matt, G. Matt · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Accretion (finance) #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics #Atomic and Molecular Physics #Circular polarization #Monte Carlo method #Optics #Physics #Polarimetry #Polarization (electrochemistry) #Radiation #Scattering #X-ray Spectroscopy and Fluorescence Analysis #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20035649
published as Astron.Astrophys. 423 (2004) 495-500 · Accepted for publication in A&A
arxiv created 2004/03/10 · openalex publication_date 2004/07/30 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The accretion column in magnetic Cataclysmic Variables may have a non negligible Thomson optical depth. A fraction of the thermal radiation from the post-shock region may therefore be scattered – and then polarized – before escaping the column. Moreover, part of the thermal radiation is reflected – and again polarized – by the White Dwarf surface. We show that X-ray polarimetry can provide valuable and probably unique information on the geometry and physical parameters of the accretion column by calculating, by means of Monte Carlo simulations, the expected polarization properties of magnetic CVs as a function of the geometrical parameters (assuming a cylindrical geometry) and the Thomson optical depth of the column. We find that degrees of polarization as high as about 4% can be present, and apply our calculations to the archetypal magnetic CV, AM Herculis.