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We present theoretical continuum polarisation and spectropolarimetric line profiles calculated using a Monte Carlo computer code. The continuum polarisation provides information on the density structure of the envelope and the variations in the degree of polarisation and position angle with wavelength across spectral lines are signatures of line formation and scattering in a moving envelope. Analysis of such polarimetric line profile variations places constraints on the velocity of the circumstellar region and the location of the line forming regions. Analysing line effects in conjunction with continuum polarimetric variability (both temporal and spectral) provides a powerful diagnostic tool in determining the structure of circumstellar environments.
We apply our results to data collected by the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photopolarimeter Experiment (WUPPE) and the Pine Bluff Observatory (PBO) in Wisconsin. Provisional WUPPE data on Novae show evidence for polarimetric line effects, while PBO data on hot stars, in particular P-Cyg and Zeta-Tau, show the signatures of rotating and expanding circumstellar geometries.
