Stokes Profiles Inversion Techniques

Del Toro Iniesta, J. C.; Ruiz Cobo, B.
Bibliographical reference

Solar Physics, Volume 164, Issue 1-2, pp. 169-182

Advertised on:
3
1996
Journal
Number of authors
2
IAC number of authors
2
Citations
66
Refereed citations
51
Description
Inversion techniques of the radiative transfer equation for polarized light are presented as one of the best current procedures to infer the vector magnetic field, as well as other quantities governing the physical state of the atmospheric layers that photons are coming from. Several characteristics of the various available inversion procedures are pointed out. They are mostly based on the diagnostic contents of the spectral lines as well as on the main hypotheses assumed in these procedures. In particular, the role of gradients in the atmospheric quantities is emphasized as of paramount importance in any diagnostic analysis and, hence, in any interpretation of inversion results.