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Reflections on Scattered Light: Monte Carlo Simulations of the Flux and Polarization Curves of β Lyrae

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Jennifer L. Hoffman
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, 475 N. Charter St., Madison, WI 53706, USA
Barbara A. Whitney
Affiliation:
Space Science Institute, 1540 30th St., Ste. 23, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
Kenneth H. Nordsieck
Affiliation:
Space Astronomy Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, 1150University Ave., Madison, WI 53706, USA

Abstract

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Polarimetry has proven to be a useful observational tool in the study of Be stars. In recent years, Monte Carlo radiative transfer methods have often been used in modeling polarimetric measurements, since they allow accurate predictions of flux and polarization via numerical simulation of the interaction of light with matter, even in systems with complex configurations. We have extended these two complementary techniques to the investigation of binary Be stars by developing a Monte Carlo code that models the flux and polarization phase curves of a binary-disk system. We here present the latest results matching geometrical model configurations with our own spectropolarimetric observations of the Algol binary β Lyrae.

Type
6. Disks
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2000

References

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