Discovery of Circularly Polarized Light from a White Dwarf
Abstract
Strong circular polarization, 1-3 percent, has been discovered in visible light from the semi-DC 'peculiar' white dwarf Grw+70°08247. This is the first such observation on any white dwarf, and is taken as indicating a strong magnetic field. From the theory of gray-body magnetoemissivity, to which the wavelength dependence of the circular polarization would appear to conform, one estimates a mean projected B field of 1 × 107 gauss.
- Publication:
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The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- August 1970
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 1970ApJ...161L..77K