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Paper: |
Constraints on the Galactic Magnetic Field from the Canadian
Galactic Plane Survey |
Volume: |
438, The Dynamic Interstellar Medium: A Celebration of the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey |
Page: |
229 |
Authors: |
Rae, K. M.; Brown, J. C. |
Abstract: |
The Galactic magnetic field is important in the dynamics of our
Galaxy. It is believed to play a role in star formation and
influence the structure of the Galaxy. In order to understand
how the Galactic magnetic field originally formed or how it is
evolving, we must first determine its present topology. To this
end, we have used observations from the Canadian Galactic Plane
Survey (CGPS) to calculate the highest source density of rotation
measures (RM) to date in the disk of the Galaxy. Using these
data, we estimate the Galactic longitude of the RM null point
in the outer Galaxy (where the RMs of extragalactic sources are
observed to pass through zero, on average, with increasing
Galactic longitude). We have also examined the RM scale height
using the CGPS latitude extension. The values of these
parameters offer critical constraints for modeling the
large-scale magnetic field in the Galactic disk. |
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