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Cyclotron Radiation from Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables (Polarization, Plasmas, Magnetized, Stars, Herculis, Puppis)

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Cyclotron Radiation from Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables (Polarization, Plasmas, Magnetized, Stars, Herculis, Puppis) Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1985 Cyclotron Radiation From Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables (Polarization, Plasmas, Magnetized, Stars, Herculis, Puppis). Paul Everett aB rrett Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Barrett, Paul Everett, "Cyclotron Radiation From Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables (Polarization, Plasmas, Magnetized, Stars, Herculis, Puppis)." (1985). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 4040. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/4040 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help clarify markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1.The sign or “target” for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is “ Missing Page(s)” . If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark, it is an indication of either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, duplicate copy, or copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed. For blurred pages, a good image o f the page can be found in the adjacent frame. I f copyrighted materials were deleted, a target note w ill appear listing the pages in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photographed, a definite method of “sectioning” the material has been followed. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again—beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. For illustrations that cannot be satisfactorily reproduced by xerographic means, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and inserted into your xerographic copy. These prints are available upon request from the Dissertations Customer Services Department. 5. Some pages in any document may have indistinct print. In all cases the best available copy has been film ed. University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 8517723 Barrett, Paul Everett CYCLOTRON RADIATION FROM MAGNETIC CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical Col. Ph.D. University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V . 1. Glossy photographs or pages ______ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print _______ 3. Photographs with dark background _____ 4. Illustrations are poor copy _______ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy _______ 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page ________ 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages ^ 8. Print exceeds margin requirements ______ 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine________ 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct print _______ 11. Page(s) _____________lacking when material received, and not available from school or author. 12. Page(s) _____________seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows. 13. Two pages numbered . Text follows. 14. Curling and wrinkled pages ______ 15. Dissertation contains pages with print at a slant, filmed as received ___________ 16. Other University Microfilms International CYCLOTRON RADIATION FROM MAGNETIC CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fu lfillm en t of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy i n The Department of Physics and Astronomy by Paul E. Barrett B.S., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1979 May 198b ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to my advisor, Dr. Ganesh Chanmuyam. His insistence on accuracy and c la rity during the researching and w ritiny of this thesis is now greatly appreciated. I thank Dr. Joel Tohline and Dr. Paul Lee for many helpful and cheerful discussions and for c ritic a l readinys of this thesis. Thanks must be given to Dr. William Priedhorsky for many helpful discussions and for financial support duriny my stay at Los Alamos National Laboratory. A large fraction of this work was accomplished there. Thanks is also given to Dr. Arlo Landolt for financial support. I thank Dr. Earle Luck, Dr. S. M. A. Meggitt, and Dr. Stephen Tamor for valuable assistance at various times duriny this research. I am in debt to Ms. Linda Frazier for her extraordinary effort in producing this thesis under short notice. I extend my love to my parents, Richard and Marion, for always beiny there when I needed them. Parts of this thesis were supported by National Science Foundation grants AST 8U25250 and 8219598. TABLE OF CONTENTS Paye Figures ....................................................................................................................... v Tables............... ............................................... vi i i Symbols ....................................................................................................................... ix Abstract................................ xi 1 Introducti on ...................................................... ....................................................... 1 I. Historical Synopsis .................................................................................... 2 I I . Physics of Accretion in Magnetic CVs .................................................. 20 2 Radiation from Hot Magnetized Plasmas ........................................................... 01 I. Characteristics of Hot Magnetized Plasmas ................................ 32 a) Introduction ................................................................ 32 b) The T - B Plane...................................................................................... 38 i ) Quantum Domai n ................................................................................ 4U i i) Classical Domain .................................................................. 41 c) Effects of Collisions ................................................................ 44 II . Cyclotron Absorption Coefficients ........................................................ 48 a) Dielectric Formulation ....................................................................... 4y i) The Dielectric Tensor ................................................... 4y ii) General Formulation ..................................................................... 34 i i i ) Nonrel ati vi sti c Approximation ......................... 3b iv) Relativistic Approximation ...................................................... 61 b) Single Particle Model ......................................................................... b2 I I I . Radi ati ve Transfer...................................................................................... 63 3 Polarized Radiation fromMagnetic CVs ....................................................... 72 I. AM Herculis Binaries .................................................................................. 73 a) Early Observations ............................................................................... 73 b) Past Calculations.................................................................................. 81 i i i c) The Nonrelativistic Approximation .............................................. 91 i ) Kesul ts ............................................................................................. 91 ii) Application to AM Herculis. .................................................... 103 d) The Relativistic Approximation .................................................... I l l e) Conclusions ............................................................................................. lib II. DQ Herculis Binaries .................................................................................... 119 a) Introduction ........................................................................................... 119 b) Polarization .......................................................................................... 13U c) Discussion ............................................................................................... 133 4 Cyclotron Lines ................................................................................. 13b I. Introduction ................................................................................................... 137 II . Absorption and Emission of Cyclotron Lines from a Plasma Slab...................................................................................................
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