Polarization of Starlight
Polarization of Starlight
复制标题
星光的偏振
作者：
T. Gold
自从希特纳第一次观察到这种效应以来，已经积累了许多恒星发出的光偏振的证据。由于这种效应与星际吸收介质的相关性，现在似乎可以肯定的是，必须从这种介质的各向异性中找到解释。不同恒星的偏振方向是不同的，表现出区域相关性，一般倾向于电矢量位于银河系平面。影响的大小(高达12%的平面极化)将由两个振荡平面的消光系数相差5%来解释2。
THE evidence for the polarization of the light from many stars has accumulated since Hiltner's first observation of the effect1. Owing to the correlation of the effect with interstellar absorbing medium, it now seems certain that the explanation must be found in an anisotropy of this medium. The direction of the polarization is variable from star to star, shows a regional correlation, and a general preference for the electric vector to lie in the galactic plane. The magnitude of the effect (up to 12 per cent plane polarization) would be accounted for by a 5 per cent difference in the extinction coefficient in the two planes of oscillation2.