Statistics of turbulence via polarimetry: alignment of grains and atoms

Most astrophysical fluids are turbulent and magnetized. Fluctuations of polarization provide a promising way to study astrophysical magnetic turbulence. We discuss polarization that arises from grains and atoms aligned in respect to magnetic field, describe the processes of alignment, explain when the alignment reflects the direction of magnetic field. We show that temporal fluctuations of interplanetary magnetic field can be studied using aligned sodium atoms.