Abstract
In a search for linear polarization effects, 37 profiles of the H α line emitted in the 16 May 1991 flare have been analyzed. Linear polarization is clearly present in the central part of line. On average, the degree of polarization is 7 %, but it reaches 20 % in regions with lower H ga emission. Generally the orientation of the plane of polarization coincides with the flare to disk center direction, except for sections where the H ga line has the characteristic form observed in moustaches. We believe that the linear polarization observed in the 16 May 1991 flare was caused by bombardment of the chromosphere by beams of accelerated particles, protons in the main part of the flare and electrons at locations where the H ga line has the characteristic moustache structure.
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Firstova, N.M., Boulatov, A.V. Characteristics of the linear polarization observed in the 16 May 1991 solar flare. Sol Phys 164, 361–372 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00146647
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00146647