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| Paper: |
Observations of Polarized Dust Emission at Far-infrared through Millimeter Wavelengths |
| Volume: |
449, Astronomical Polarimetry 2008: Science from Small to Large Telescopes |
| Page: |
169 |
| Authors: |
Vaillancourt, J. E. |
| Abstract: |
Interstellar polarization at far-infrared through millimeter
wavelengths (λ ≈ 0.1 – 1 mm) is primarily due to thermal
emission from dust grains aligned with magnetic fields. This
mechanism has led to studies of magnetic fields in a variety of
celestial sources, as well as the physical characteristics of the
dust grains and their interaction with the field. Observations have
covered a diverse array of sources, from entire galaxies to
molecular clouds and proto-stellar disks. Maps have been generated
on a wide range of angular scales, from surveys covering large
fractions of the sky, down to those with arcsecond spatial resolution.
Additionally, the increasing availability of observations at
multiple wavelengths in this band allows empirical tests of models of
grain alignment and cloud structure.
I review some of the recent work in this field, emphasizing
comparisons of observations on multiple spatial scales and at
multiple wavelengths. |
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