The spectral line polarization of the radiation emerging from a magnetized astrophysical plasma depends on the state of the atoms within the medium, whose determination requires considering the interactions between the atoms and the magnetic field, between the atoms and photons (radiative transitions), and between the atoms and other material

Using the OSIRIS tunable narrowband imager on the 10.4 m GTC (La Palma), we have mapped the SAB(rs)cd galaxy NGC 6946 over a ~7.3 × 7.5 arcmin2 field in the emission lines of the [S II] λλ6717, 6731 doublet, and in Hα. From these maps we have produced catalogs of the Hα luminosities and effective radii of 557 H II regions across the disk, and

The detection of multiple mode harmonic kink oscillations in coronal loops enables us to obtain information on coronal density stratification and magnetic field expansion using seismology inversion techniques. The inference is based on the measurement of the period ratio between the fundamental mode and the first overtone and theoretical results

Velocity gradients in a stellar atmospheric plasma have an effect on the anisotropy of the radiation field that illuminates each point within the medium, and this may in principle influence the scattering line polarization that results from the induced atomic level polarization. Here, we analyze the emergent linear polarization profiles of the Ca

Aims: We study the presence of reversed polarity magnetic flux in sunspot penumbra. Methods: We applied a new regularized method to deconvolve spectropolarimetric data observed with the spectropolarimeter SP onboard Hinode. The new regularization is based on a principal component decomposition of the Stokes profiles. The resulting Stokes profiles

Recent success in explaining several properties of the dusty torus around the central engine of active galactic nuclei has been gathered with the assumption of clumpiness. The properties of such clumpy dusty tori can be inferred by analysing spectral energy distributions (SEDs), sometimes with scarce sampling given that large aperture telescopes

We consider a gas of hydrogen atoms illuminated by a broadband unpolarized radiation with zero anisotropy. In the absence of external fields, atomic J-levels are thus isotropically populated. While this condition persists in the presence of a magnetic field, we show instead that electric fields can induce the alignment of these levels. We also show

We present observational evidence of apparent plasma rotational motions in the feet of a solar prominence. Our study is based on spectroscopic observations taken in the He I 1083.0 nm multiplet with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter attached to the German Vacuum Tower Telescope. We recorded a time sequence of spectra with 34 s cadence placing the

We have performed power spectral analysis of surface temperatures, velocities, and magnetic fields, using spectropolarimetric data taken with the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope. When we make power spectra in a field of view covering the supergranular scale, kinetic and thermal power spectra have a prominent peak at the granular scale while the

In order to understand the heating of the solar corona it is crucial to obtain empirical information on the magnetic field in its lower boundary (the transition region). To this end, we need to measure and model the linear polarization produced by scattering processes in strong UV lines, such as the hydrogen Lyα line. The interpretation of the

The solar outer atmosphere is an extremely dynamic environment characterized by the continuous interplay between the plasma and the magnetic field that generates and permeates it. Such interactions play a fundamental role in hugely diverse astrophysical systems, but occur at scales that cannot be studied outside the solar system. Understanding this

Aims: We analyze a set of full Stokes profile observations of the flaring active region NOAA 10808. The region was recorded with the Vector-Spectromagnetograph of the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun facility. The active region produced several successive X-class flares between 19:00 UT and 24:00 UT on September 13, 2005 and we

The analysis of high spectral resolution spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric observations constitutes a very powerful way of inferring the dynamical, thermodynamical, and magnetic properties of distant objects. However, these techniques starve photons, making it difficult to use them for all purposes. A common problem is not being able to detect

We report Stokes vector observations of solar spicules and a prominence in the He I 1083 nm multiplet carried out with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter. The observations show linear polarization profiles that are produced by scattering processes in the presence of a magnetic field. After a careful data reduction, we demonstrate the existence of

We derive exact expressions for the degree of lineal polarization over a resolved or integrated stellar disc due to resonance scattering and the Hanle effect from a dipolar or quadrupolar distribution of magnetic fields. We apply the theory of scattering polarization within the formalism of the spherical tensors representation for the density

In this paper we describe in detail the implementation and main properties of a new inversion code for the polarized radiative transfer equation (VFISV: Very Fast Inversion of the Stokes Vector). VFISV will routinely analyze pipeline data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on-board of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). It will

Observations of very quiet Sun using the Solar Optical Telescope/Spectro-Polarimeter (SOT/SP) aboard the Hinode spacecraft reveal that the quiet internetwork regions are pervaded by horizontal magnetic flux. The spatial average horizontal apparent flux density derived from wavelength-integrated measures of Zeeman-induced linear polarization is

This paper discusses some of the challenges of spectro-polarimetric observations with a large aperture solar telescope such as the ATST or the EST. The observer needs to reach a compromise between spatial and spectral resolution, time cadence, and signal-to-noise ratio, as only three of those four parameters can be pushed to the limit. Tunable

Context. The structure of the solar chromosphere is believed to be governed by magnetic fields, even in quiet-Sun regions that have a relatively weak photospheric field. During the past decade inversion methods have emerged as powerful tools for analyzing the chromosphere of active regions. The applicability of inversions to infer the

High-resolution imaging observations from the Hinode spacecraft in the Ca II H line are employed to study the dynamics of the chromosphere above a sunspot. We find that umbral flashes and other brightenings produced by the oscillation are extremely rich in fine structure, even beyond the resolving limit of our observations (0farcs22). The umbra is