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26 MAY 2015 time 11:00
Oggi Astro Chiacchiere!
Cosmic magnetism with Faraday rotation measures
Xiaohui Sun (Sydney University)
Abstract:
Understanding the Universe is impossible without understanding magnetic fields. They are ubiquitous in interstellar space, affect the evolution of galaxies and galaxy clusters, contribute significantly to the total pressure of interstellar gas, are essential for the onset of star formation, and control the density and distribution of cosmic rays in the interstellar medium. However, we still do not know how large-scale magnetic fields are generated and maintained. The POlarisation Sky Survey of the Universe’s Magnetism (POSSUM) to be conducted with the Australian Squared Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) aims to revolutionise our understanding of cosmic magnetism by measuring Faraday rotation of about 1 million extragalactic sources. In this talk, I will give an update on the project and discuss the challenge to properly determine rotation measures.
Understanding the Universe is impossible without understanding magnetic fields. They are ubiquitous in interstellar space, affect the evolution of galaxies and galaxy clusters, contribute significantly to the total pressure of interstellar gas, are essential for the onset of star formation, and control the density and distribution of cosmic rays in the interstellar medium. However, we still do not know how large-scale magnetic fields are generated and maintained. The POlarisation Sky Survey of the Universe’s Magnetism (POSSUM) to be conducted with the Australian Squared Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) aims to revolutionise our understanding of cosmic magnetism by measuring Faraday rotation of about 1 million extragalactic sources. In this talk, I will give an update on the project and discuss the challenge to properly determine rotation measures.