While the dominant radiation mechanism gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) remains a
question of debate, synchrotron emission is one of the foremost candidates to
describe the multi-wavelength afterglow observations. As such, it is expected
that GRBs should present some degree of polarization across their evolution -
presenting a feasible means of probing these bursts' energetic and angular
properties. Although obtaining polarization data is difficult due to the
inherent complexities regarding GRB observations, advances are being made, and
theoretical modeling of synchrotron polarization is now more relevant than
ever. In this manuscript, we present the polarization for a fiduciary model
where the synchrotron forward-shock emission evolving in the
radiative-adiabatic regime is described by a radially stratified off-axis
outflow. This is parameterized with a power-law velocity distribution and
decelerated in a constant-density and wind-like external environment. We apply
this theoretical polarization model for selected bursts presenting evidence of
off-axis afterglow emission, including the nearest orphan GRB candidates
observed by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and a few Gravitational Wave
(GWs) events that could generate electromagnetic emission. In the case of GRB
170817A, we require the available polarimetric upper limits in radio
wavelengths to constrain its magnetic field geometry.Comment: In submission. 18 pages, 7 figures, 3 table