Stokes parameters for thomson scattering in a cold magnetized plasma

The effect of a strong magnetic field on neutron stars or white dwarfs is calculated for Thomson scattering in a fully ionized collisionless plasma. The Stokes parameters for the scattered radiation are computed explicitly in terms of the state of polarization of the incident wave, the electron-cyclotron frequency, the plasma frequency, the angle of incidence, and the angle of scattering. The effects of the plasma are very insensitive to specific values of ( =₂^p/²,_p denotes the electron plasma frequency) so long as 1, whereas the criterion for the magnetic field to substantially affect the Stokes parameters is that the photon frequency be less than the electron-cyclotron frequency. The effects of classical radiation damping and natural line broadening are briefly mentioned.