Broadband linear polarization and modelling of magnetic fields in CP stars

Abstract

The observations in broadband linear polarization (BBLP) represent a powerful diagnostic tool for detecting the magnetic morphology of CP stars. In several cases, BBLP observations are not consistent with the prediction of the oblique rotator model with a simple dipolar field. Discrepancies between theoretical predictions and observations may partially be ascribed to the effect of desaturation due to the blending of spectral lines, which has not been taken into account so far in the models. However, there are strong evidences that in many cases the simple dipolar model is not sufficient to describe the magnetic configuration of CP stars.