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Mapping Magnetic Fields in the Cold Dust at the Galactic Center
Author(s) -
Chuss David T.,
Novak Giles,
Davidson Jacqueline A.,
Dotson Jessie L.,
Dowell C. Darren,
Hildebrand Roger H.,
Vaillancourt John E.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
astronomische nachrichten
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.394
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1521-3994
pISSN - 0004-6337
DOI - 10.1002/asna.200385099
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , galactic center , galactic plane , galaxy , magnetic field , astronomy , flux (metallurgy) , milky way , field (mathematics) , materials science , mathematics , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics , metallurgy
We report the measurement of 158 new 350 μ m polarimetry vectors in the central 30 parsecs of the Galactic center. These data were obtained at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory using Hertz. Morphologically, these results show a consistency with previously published far‐infrared and submillimeter results. We find that the angle of the magnetic field inferred from these observations is related to the 350 μ m flux as obtained by SHARC/CSO in the following way. At low fluxes, the magnetic field angle is consistent with that of a poloidal field as seen in nearby features such as the Galactic Center Radio Arc and the Northern and Southern Threads. At high fluxes, the magnetic field is oriented parallel to the plane of the Galaxy. This relationship suggests a model in which an initially poloidal field is sheared out in dense regions which are dominated by gravity. If this model is correct, it implies a characteristic field strength for the region of 3 mG.