Astrophysical spectropolarimetry : proceedings of the 12th Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain, November 13-24, 2000

This book contains the lectures delivered at the XII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics on Astrophysical Spectropolarimetry. It highlights how recent developments in theoretical astrophysics and astronomical instrumentation are leading an ever-growing number of astrophysicists to appreciate the enormous diagnostic potential offered by spectropolarimetry. The polarization of light is the key to obtaining a wealth of essential information that lies encoded in the electromagnetic radiation from cosmic objects. Spectropolarimetry and imaging polarimetry provide powerful diagnostics of the physical conditions in astrophysical plasmas, which cannot be obtained via conventional spectroscopy. Whilst its application to other fields of astrophysics is still at an early stage of development, spectropolarimetry is being used with great success in solar physics. The book contains the lectures delivered at the XII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics. Written by eight prestigious astrophysics researchers, it covers the physics of polarization, polarized radiation diagnostics of solar magnetic fields, stellar magnetic fields, polarization insights for active galactic nuclei, compact objects and accretion disks, astronomical masers and their polarization, infrared-submillimeter spectropolarimetry, and instrumentation for astrophysical spectropolarimetry. This timely volume will provide graduate students and researchers with an unprecedented introduction to the field of Astrophysical Spectropolarimetry The Physics Of Polarization / E. Landi Degl'innocenti -- Polarized Radiation Diagnostics Of Solar Magnetic Fields / J.o. Stenflo -- Polarized Radiation Diagnostics Of Stellar Magnetic Fields / G. Mathys -- Polarization Insights For Active Galactic Nuclei / R. Antonucci -- Compact Objects And Accretion Disks / R. Blandford ... [et Al.] -- Astronomical Masers And Their Polarization / M. Elitzur -- Interstellar Magnetic Fields And Infrared-submillimeter Spectropolarimetry / R.h. Hildebrand -- Instrumentation For Astrophysical Spectropolarimetry / C.u. Keller. Edited By J. Trujillo Bueno, F. Moreno-insertis, F. Sánchez. Includes Bibliographical References. This book contains the lectures delivered at the XII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics. It covers the physics of polarisation, polarised radiation diagnostics of solar magnetic fields, and much more This course is intended to give a description of the basic physical concepts which underlie the study and the interpretation of polarization phenomena.