Influence of the Magnetic Field on the Polarization of Radiation Scattered by Electrons in Stellar Atmospheres and Envelopes

The radiation scattering by electrons play an important role for stars with the surface temperature ≥ 2.10 4 °K. Many among these stars have magnetic fields of the order 1 - 100 G. We shall consider the role of the field for the radiative transfer in continuum spectra. Electrons in the field form an axisymmetric medium similar to the single axis crystal. Hence, the medium will have dichroism and birefringency. If the gyrofrequency ω B is much less than the radiation frequency ω then the dichroism can be neglected. The circular birefringency can be characterized by the angle of the Faraday rotation