Spectropolarimetry of the Solar Mg II h and k Lines

Our analysis confirms the strong linear polarization in the wings of both lines observed near the limb, as previously reported, but also demonstrates the presence of a negatively (i.e., radially oriented) polarized signal between the two lines.

We find evidence for fluctuations of the polarization pattern over a broad spectral range, resulting in some depolarization with respect to the pure scattering case when observed at very low spatial and temporal resolutions. This is consistent with recent theoretical modeling that predicts this to be the result of redistribution effects, quantum interference between the atomic levels of the upper term, and magneto-optical effects.