Magnetic Fields and the Polarization of Astrophysical Maser Radiation: A Review
Abstract
Description
Basic aspects of the relationship between the magnetic field and polarized maser radiation are described with the emphasis on interpreting the observed spectra. Special attention is given to three issues--the limitations on the applicability of the classic solutions of Goldreich, Keeley & Kwan (1973), inferring the strength of the magnetic field from the circular polarization when the Zeeman splitting is much less than the spectral linebreadth (especially for SiO masers), and the significance of the absence of components of the Zeeman triplet in the spectra of OH masers in regions of star formation.
8 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Proceedings of "Magnetic Fields in the Universe II: from Laboratory and Stars to the Primordial Universe", Cozumel, Mexico, January 2008
8 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Proceedings of "Magnetic Fields in the Universe II: from Laboratory and Stars to the Primordial Universe", Cozumel, Mexico, January 2008