Abstract
Is the accretion column of AM Herculis binaries a circular or a flattened cylinder? We show that polarization data can answer this question. We evaluate the polarized radiation emitted by a circular cylinder accretion column and compare it with a flatt ,med cylinder as a function of: 1) the angle of observation with respect to the axis of the accretion column, 2) the magnetic field, 3) the thickness of the column, 4) the temperature of the plasma, and 5) the observed radiation frequency.
