Selective absorption processes as the origin of puzzling spectral line polarization from the Sun

Magnetic fields play a key role in most astrophysical systems, from the Sun to active galactic nuclei1,2,3. They can be studied through their effects on atomic energy levels, which produce polarized spectral lines4,5. In particular, anisotropic radiation ‘pumping’ processes6,7 (which send electrons to higher atomic levels) induce population imbalances that are modified by weak magnetic fields8,9. Here we report peculiarly polarized light in the He I 10,830-Å multiplet observed in a coronal filament located at the centre of the solar disk. We show that the polarized light arises from selective absorption from the ground level of the triplet system of helium, and that it implies the presence of magnetic fields of the order of a few gauss that are highly inclined with respect to the solar radius vector. This disproves the common belief4,10,11 that population imbalances in long-lived atomic levels are insignificant in the presence of inclined fields of the order of a few gauss, and opens up a new diagnostic window for the investigation of solar magnetic fields.