Coherence, power laws, and the negative polarization surge

Area of Science:

• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Radiative Transfer
• Polarimetry

Background:

• Astronomical bodies often exhibit negative polarization, a phenomenon not fully explained by existing models.
• Understanding polarization is crucial for characterizing celestial object composition and structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel second-order ray-tracing model to account for negative polarization in astronomical bodies.
• To investigate the role of constructive interference and Fresnel reflections in generating negative polarization.

Main Methods:

• Developed a second-order ray-tracing model incorporating constructive interference of reciprocal rays.
• Utilized Fresnel reflections from an inverse gamma-type distribution function of path length.
• Modeled ray paths incident upon astronomical bodies.

Main Results:

• The model successfully predicts the negative polarization branch observed in some astronomical bodies.
• The predicted negative polarization is largely independent of wavelength.
• Polarization magnitude is primarily determined by the power law in the path-length distribution.

Conclusions:

• The developed ray-tracing model provides a viable explanation for negative polarization in astronomical objects.
• The findings align with observational data, particularly the wavelength independence of the polarization.
• Path-length distribution is a key factor in determining the observed polarization characteristics.