Direct in situ Observations of Magnetic Fields in Galaxies

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

This is a research program to study magnetic fields in ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) using polarization and Very Long Baseline Interferometry observations of OH lines. The methods include a survey of Zeeman splitting in OH megamasers using Arecibo Observatory, Very Long Baseline Interferometry maps of masers in several ULIRGs, and measurement of magnetic fields outside megamaser regions using OH absorption lines. The main goal is to determine magnetic fields in the astrophysical plasmas residing in infrared galaxies, and to study their evolution with redshift.