  The quantum theory of polarized light allows one to model scattering in the
solar atmosphere for inferring its properties. This powerful approach has
revealed two key long-standing problems in solar physics: the puzzling dilemmas
between theory and observations in several anomalously polarized spectral lines
and the need for inferring the ubiquitous weak chromospheric magnetic fields,
which requires discriminating the Hanle effect in dynamic optically thick
plasmas. However, the ever-present dynamics, i.e., the temporal evolution of
heatings and macroscopic motions, has been widely disregarded when modeling and
interpreting the scattering polarization. This has hindered a consistent
theoretical solution to the puzzle while falsifying the Hanle diagnosis. Here,
we show that the dynamical evolution is a keystone for solving both problems
because its systematic impact allows an explanation of the observations from
'anomalous' instantaneous polarization signals. Evolution accounted for, we
reproduce amplitudes and (spectral and spatial) shapes of the Ca I 4227 A
polarization at solar disk center, identifying a restrictive arrangement of
magnetic fields, kinematics, heatings, and spatio-temporal resolution. We find
that the joint action of dynamics, Hanle effect, and low temporal resolutions
mimics Zeeman linear polarization profiles, the true weak-field Zeeman signals
being negligible. Our results allow reinterpretation of many polarization
signals of the solar spectra and support time-dependent scattering polarization
as a powerful tool for deciphering the spatio-temporal distribution of
chromospheric heatings and fields. This approach may be a key aid in developing
the Hanle diagnosis for the solar atmosphere.
