BASIC THEORY FOR POLARIZED, ASTROPHYSICAL MASER RADIATION IN A MAGNETIC-FIELD

Fundamental alterations in the theory and resulting behavior of polari zed, astrophysical maser radiation in the presence of a magnetic field have been asserted based on a calculation of instabilities in the rad iative transfer. I reconsider the radiative transfer and find that the relevant instabilities do not occur. Calculational errors in the prev ious investigation are identified. In addition, such instabilities wou ld have appeared but did not-in the numerous numerical solutions to th e same radiative transfer equations that have been presented in the li terature. As a result, all modifications that have been presented in a recent series of papers (Elitzur 1991, 1993) to the theory for polari zed maser radiation in the presence of a magnetic field are invalid. T he basic theory is thus clarified.