Analytical maximum likelihood estimation of stellar magnetic fields

• Published in: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol. 419; no. 1; pp. 153 - 163
• Main Authors: Martínez González, M. J., Manso Sainz, R., Asensio Ramos, A., Belluzzi, L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012; Wiley-Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Astronomy; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Magnetic fields; Maximum likelihood method; Stars & galaxies; stars: magnetic field; Sun: surface magnetism; techniques: polarimetric; techniques: polarimetric; stars: magnetic field; Sun: surface magnetism; Stellar spectra; Estimator; Intensity; Vector fields; Hermitian matrix; Stellar radiation; Sun; Stellar atmospheres; Stokes parameters; Deconvolution; Rotator; Magnetic stars; Maximum likelihood; Magnetic fields; Dipole field
• ISSN: 0035-8711; 1365-2966
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19681.x

The polarized spectrum of stellar radiation encodes valuable information on the conditions of stellar atmospheres and the magnetic fields that permeate them. In this paper, we give explicit expressions to estimate the magnetic field vector and its associated error from the observed Stokes parameters. We study the solar case where specific intensities are observed and then the stellar case, where we receive the polarized flux. In the second case, we concentrate on the explicit expression for the case of a slow rotator with a dipolar magnetic field geometry. Moreover, we also give explicit formulae to retrieve the magnetic field vector from the least-squares deconvolution (LSD) profiles without assuming mean values for the LSD artificial spectral line. The formulae have been obtained assuming that the spectral lines can be described in the weak-field regime and using a maximum likelihood approach. The errors are recovered by means of the Hermitian matrix. The bias of the estimators is analysed in depth.