A FORMALISM FOR COVARIANT POLARIZED RADIATIVE TRANSPORT BY RAY TRACING

作者：Gammie Charles F^*; Leung Po Kin

来源：Astrophysical Journal, 2012, 752(2): 123.

DOI：10.1088/0004-637X/752/2/123

• black hole physics
• plasmas
• polarization
• radiative transfer
• relativistic processes

We write down a covariant formalism for polarized radiative transfer appropriate for ray tracing through a turbulent plasma. The polarized radiation field is represented by the polarization tensor (coherency matrix) N-alpha beta < a(k)(alpha)a(k)*(beta)>, where ak is a Fourier coefficient for the vector potential. UsingMaxwell's equations, the Liouville-Vlasov equation, and the WKB approximation, we show that the transport equation in vacuo is k(mu)del N-mu(alpha beta) = 0. We show that this is equivalent to Broderick & Blandford's formalism based on invariant Stokes parameters and a rotation coefficient, and suggest a modification that may reduce truncation error in some situations. Finally, we write down several alternative approaches to integrating the transfer equation.

• 出版日期2012-6-20