Asymmetries in stokes profiles of magnetic lines: A linear analysis in terms of velocity gradients

A linear analysis of the asymmetries in Stokes profiles of magnetic lines is performed. The asymmetries in the linear and circular polarization profiles are characterized by suitable quantities, \(\delta \tilde Q\) and \(\delta \tilde V\) , strictly related to observed profiles. The response functions of \(\delta \tilde Q\) and \(\delta \tilde V\) to velocity fields are introduced and computed for various configurations of the magnetic field vector in a Milne-Eddington atmosphere. Some conclusions are drawn as to the importance of the asymmetries in Stokes profiles for recovering the velocity gradients from observations.