Interpretative Modeling of Structured Winds Using Linear Polarization
R Ignace
Abstract
Polarization provides additional diagnostic opportunities for probing the structured environments of massive stars as well as the illumination of those environments by stars that are not spherical. After a brief overview of polarization considerations relevant to hot massive stars, selected applications are presented. Examples related to dense Wolf-Rayet winds are chosen: clumpy wind flow, co-rotating interaction regions, and colliding wind interactions. Brief remarks are given about the prospects for opening a new window on massive star studies using UV spectropolarimetry with the {\em Polstar} mission concept.