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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 ,
Britt Lundgren ,
Sui Ann Mao ,
Eric Wilcots  and
Ellen Zweibel
Anna Williams
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin, USA email: williams@astro.wisc.edu, ewilcots@astro.wisc.edu, zweibel@astro.wisc.edu
Britt Lundgren
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics, University of North Caroline-Asheville Asheville, NC, USA email: blundgre@unca.edu
Sui Ann Mao
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Instititut Für Radioastronomie Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE email: mao@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de
Eric Wilcots
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin, USA email: williams@astro.wisc.edu, ewilcots@astro.wisc.edu, zweibel@astro.wisc.edu
Ellen Zweibel
Affiliation:
Dept. of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin, USA email: williams@astro.wisc.edu, ewilcots@astro.wisc.edu, zweibel@astro.wisc.edu
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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.

Keywords

extragalacticmagnetic fieldsMgII absorberredshift
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 11 , Symposium S321: Formation and Evolution of Galaxy Outskirts , March 2016 , pp. 330 - 332
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2017 

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