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Using rotation measure to search for magnetic fields around galaxies at z ~ 0.5

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2017

Anna Williams
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin, USA email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Britt Lundgren
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics, University of North Caroline-Asheville Asheville, NC, USA email: [email protected]
Sui Ann Mao
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Instititut Für Radioastronomie Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE email: [email protected]
Eric Wilcots
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin, USA email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Ellen Zweibel
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin, USA email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
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Abstract

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Magnetic fields are an important component in galaxies, and yet, we still do not know how these magnetic fields were originally seeded within galaxies, nor how they have grown to the strengths we observe today. One way we can unravel this complex problem is by measuring the growth of magnetic fields over cosmic time. We present the initial results of a rotation measure study to search for the presence of coherent magnetic fields around young disk-like galaxies at z ~ 0.5. The S-band receiver at the VLA allows us to simultaneously observe Stokes I, Q, U, and V from 2-4 GHz. With these broadband polarization observations we apply multiple methods for determining the rotation measure of each source, improving the fidelity of our results. Beyond magnetogenesis, the results of this study also have implications for the life-cycle of baryons within galaxies and the composition of galactic haloes.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2017 

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