Stokes profile analysis and vector magnetic fields. I - Inversion of photospheric lines 论文

摘要

The authors consider improvements to the Auer, Heasley, and House method for the analytic inversion of Stokes profiles via nonlinear least squares. In the application of this method to actual sunspot observations, the authors have found that its simplifications often yield erroneous solutions or nonconvergent behavior. By including damping wings and magneto-optical birefringence and by decoupling the intensity profile from the three-vector polarization profile in the analysis, the authors develop a more robust inversion method that provides a more reliable and accurate estimate of sunspot vector magnetic fields without significant loss of economy.