Figure 1: Hydrogen Balmer spectrum for HFMWDs.
From: Si:P as a laboratory analogue for hydrogen on high magnetic field white dwarf stars
The spectra are taken from the Sloane Digital Sky Survey7. They have been flattened by subtracting a 4th order polynomial fit and inverted. Also shown are all theoretical Balmer series transitions—we have chosen the field values to produce the best fit. No account has been taken here of the temperature or the spatial and temporal field inhomogeneity and this accounts for the difference in the field values quoted here when compared with fits from a full calculation7. The magnitude of the dipole matrix element, and the polarization are shown, respectively, by the length and colour of the lines (red, circular σ+ polarization, Δm=−1; green, linear πz, Δm=0; blue, circular σ−, Δm=+1).
