US-France Cooperative Research: A Study of Magnetic Fields in Interstellar Material

该奖项将支持天文学的合作研究， 托马斯特罗兰博士，与理查德Crutcher博士，大学 和Ilya Kazes博士，Observatoire de Meudon，法国。 当今银河系天文学最引人注目的问题之一是 星际物质云聚集的过程 形成新的恒星并最终消散 理论 研究表明，磁场可能在 这个进化过程。 然而，磁场强度是 最不确定的所有相关物理量 星际介质，特别是在分子云中。 过去 几年来，特罗兰博士和克鲁彻博士已经推出了一个主要的 观察计划，以纠正这一缺陷。 学习中认为 18厘米OH谱线塞曼效应产生了 现有的有关场强的信息 分子云 这些研究中的大多数都是在 Nancay射电望远镜，现在运作非常有效， 用于此目的。 他们试图在南凯继续这项工作， 将补充塞曼效应观测进展与 NRAO 43米望远镜和阿雷西博望远镜。 收集的数据 在所有地点将允许电流的重要实验测试 星际介质中的磁效应理论。 的 调查人员还计划开始另一个项目的工作， 用IRAM 30进行毫米波长塞曼效应观测 米望远镜 此外，还对《公约》第10条提出了补充意见， IRAM望远镜将成为研究区域密度的一部分 寻找塞曼效应 这项拟议工作的结果 可能对我们理解分子生物学 云和其中的恒星形成过程。

This award will support collaborative research in astronomy between Dr. Thomas Troland, together with Dr. Richard Crutcher, University of Kentucky, and Dr. Ilya Kazes, Observatoire de Meudon, France. One of the most compelling problems of galactic astronomy today is the process whereby clouds of interstellar material gather together, form new stars and eventually disperse. Theoretical studies indicate that magnetic fields may play a crucial role in this evolutionary process. Yet magnetic field strengths are the least well determined of all relevant physical quantities in the interstellar medium, especially in molecular clouds. In the past few years, Drs. Troland and Crutcher have launched a major observational program to correct this deficiency. Their studies of the Zeeman effect in 18 centimeter OH lines have yielded most of the information that now exists regarding field strengths in molecular clouds. Most of these studies have been carried out with the Nancay radio telescope, which now functions very efficiently for this purpose. They seek to continue this work at Nancay, which will complement Zeeman effect observations in progress with the NRAO 43 meter telescope and the Arecibo telescope. Data collected at all sites will permit significant experimental tests of current theories on magnetic effects in the interstellar medium. The investigators also plan to begin work on another project, millimeter wavelength Zeeman effect observations with the IRAM 30 meter telescope. Moreover, additional observations made with the IRAM telescope will form part of a study of densities in regions searched for the Zeeman effect. The results of this proposed work may contribute significantly to our understanding of molecular clouds and of the star-forming processes within them.