and 
lines and the Swan system of
.
Polarized Resonance Fluorescence of Comet Hale-Bopp
J. E. Allen, Jr. (NASA GSFC), M. J. Penn, D. Branston (NSO/NOAO), M. A. DiSanti (Catholic Univ./NASA GSFC)
Because it is basically a vector-related technique, polarization
spectroscopy can provide information not obtainable using traditional
spectroscopic methods. Typically polarization measurements are assoc-
iated with the characterization of the dust continuum. However, although
not as frequently studied, resonance fluorescence can also exhibit
polarization and the information can be related to physical properties of
the comet, e.g., magnetic-field direction. Observations of comet
Hale-Bopp were made shortly after perihelion (April 4 - 14, 1996) using
the Vacuum Tower Telescope at the National Solar Observatory in
Sunspot, NM. Images were taken through a variety of filters and spectra
acquired using the high-resolution horizontal spectrograph; in both cases
data were acquired with and without polarization analysis. Here we
report on the preliminary analysis of polarization images and spectra of
the sodium (Na) and lines and the Swan system of
.