The influence of cascade on the polarization of radiation produced in electronic or atomic collisions

A study is presented, in which we consider the influence of cascade effects on the polarization of light emission produced in electronic or atomic collisions. Cascade transitions are shown to cause a polarization transfer which may result in a total falsification and even in a sign reversal of the polarization. Closed expressions are derived for some special cases. A practical application is given in which the derived formulas are used to understand a serious discrepancy between theoretical predictions and experimental data in the case of the line polarization due to some 3p-3s transitions in neon induced by proton impact.