Polarization of IPs
Strongly polarized optical/IR emission is a defining characteritic
of polars; the studies of cyclotron humps and Zeeman-split photospheric
features have allowed direct measurements of the magnetic field
strength in polars.
This is not the case in IPs - there are no reports of cyclotron humps
or Zeeman-split features. Polarization has been detected in 6 or so
systems, however, allowing some constraints to be set on the magnetic
field strengths. However, the analysis is more complicated because
any cyclotron emission can be diluted by unpolarized emissions from
the partial accretion disk, the bright spot, and the irradiated
disk/bright spot/secondary.
Wickramasinghe et al. 1991
suggest non-detection of polarization suggests B < 5 MG. If this
is confirmed, then there are quite a few IPs with magnetic fields
weaker than known polars, and hence will not evolve into polars.
There are a few IPs that will.
Survey and Non-system-specific Modelling
Detections
Upper Limits