Monday

The technique of spectropolarimetry exploits the fact that stellar continuum photons are more likely to be scattered by free electrons in circumstellar ionized material than emission lines such as Halpha, which form further out. As a result, it allows us to probe the geometries of ionized regions at scales of several stellar radii. Linear spectropolarimetry is therefore exquisitely suited to study the immediate environments of stars in various evolutionary stages. In this talk, we will introduce the concepts of the technique, discuss various examples and results. In particular, the application to a large sample of intermediate mass pre-Main Sequence Herbig Ae/Be stars is presented. A recently completed statistical investigation shows that the magnetospheric accretion scenario that is commonly accepted to dominate the formation of low mass stars, may well be applicable to higher masses. We conclude with a brief future outlook.