ZeemanDoppler

ZeemanDoppler is a term used in astrophysical spectroscopy to denote a class of diagnostic techniques that exploit both the Zeeman effect and the Doppler effect in spectral lines to infer magnetic fields and line-of-sight velocities in astronomical or laboratory plasmas. In practice, it relies on high-resolution spectropolarimetry to measure polarization states across spectral lines that are split in magnetic fields. The Zeeman effect produces circular and linear polarization signals proportional to the magnetic field strength and geometry, while Doppler shifts provide velocity information along the observer's line of sight. By combining these signals, ZeemanDoppler analyses yield maps of magnetic field vectors and velocity fields over extended objects, or along the line of sight in unresolved sources.

In stellar astrophysics, ZeemanDoppler techniques are used to reconstruct magnetic topology of stars, similar to Zeeman-Doppler Imaging, but are sometimes described as a broader framework that includes time-domain measurements and tomographic inversions. In solar and laboratory plasmas, the method aids in diagnosing magnetic structure and flow patterns.

Instrumentation typically involves high-resolution spectropolarimeters and large-aperture telescopes, with data processed through inversion algorithms that fit polarized line profiles to model atmospheres or plasmas. Limitations include weak polarization signals, line blending, magnetic field geometry degeneracies, and dependence on suitable spectral lines with sufficient Landé factors.

See also Zeeman effect, Doppler effect, spectropolarimetry, Zeeman-Doppler imaging.