Magnetospheric Birefringence Induces Unique Polarization Signatures in Neutron-Star Spectra

Abstract

We study the propagation of polarization light through the magnetosphere of neutron stars. At intermediate frequencies (the optical through the infrared), both the birefringence induced by the plasma and by quantumelectrodynamics influence the observation polarization of radiation from the surface of the neutron star. Because these two processes compete in this regime, we find that polarization observations can constrain the properties of the neutron-star magnetosphere, specifically the total charge density. We calculate both the phase-resolved and the phase-averaged polarization signatures induced by magnetospheric birefringence.