SPECTROPOLARIMETRIC MODELING OF HOT STAR WIND STRUCTURE

A short overview is given of some recent progress in the theory of spectropolarimetry as a diagnostic of axisymmetric hot star wind density and velocity structure, covering the inferences possible from broad band polarimetry, from polarimetric light curves and simultaneous absorption line data, and from spectropolarimetric line profiles. Recent work on joint spectro-, photo-, and polari-metric study of the properties of wind inhomogeneities is also summarised. One of the most important conclusions is that the blobs necessary in WR winds to produce narrow emission line features cannot also produce polarimetric light curve features unless they originate in enhanced mass loss sources at the stellar surface rather than solely in density redistribution processes, such as turbulence, in the wind itself.