GALFACTS Full-Stokes Studies of SNRs and HII Regions

银河系阿雷西博L频段馈电阵列(ALFA)连续观测系统是从2008年初开始观测的阿雷西博天文台对整个天空可见的全斯托克斯1.4千兆赫射电连续观测。Charles Kerton博士(爱荷华州立大学)、Chris Salter博士(国家天文和电离层中心/阿雷西博天文台)、Roland Kothes博士(加拿大国家研究理事会)和Tyler Foster博士(布兰登大学)组成的国际合作小组将利用GALFACTS研究我们银河系中发现的超新星遗迹(SNR)、HII区域和大型射电连续体环和马刺。HII区和SNR在星际介质的化学和物理演化中都扮演着至关重要的角色，通过紫外线辐射、恒星风、爆炸运动和激波不断重塑银盘。因此，详细了解SNR和HII区域的属性--它们的大小、能量、全球统计数据--对于理解银河系的物理结构和演化，进而理解其他更遥远的星系是非常重要的。GALFACTS将提供一些从银河系平面延伸出来的大型连续体环和刺结构的有史以来最高分辨率的图像，并对这些天体的模型提供重要的约束，这些天体可能代表本地星际介质中的主要结构。GALFACTS调查的科学回报预计将非常高，其数据产品将引起大量研究人员的兴趣。克顿博士的团队计划制作一份扩展的连续辐射源目录，提供阿雷西博射电连续谱天空的最终总结，并将影响他的团队和更广泛的天文学社区未来的研究。此外，该项目将为银河天文学研究生和本科生提供研究和培训机会，重点是射电天文技术以及处理和解释大型多波长数据集。通过阿雷西博的天文台游客中心、爱荷华州立大学的天文馆以及与爱荷华州科学中心的合作，计划为普通公众和学校开展外联活动。

GALFACTS, the Galactic Arecibo L-Band Feed Array (ALFA) Continuum Transit Survey, is a full-Stokes 1.4 GHz radio continuum survey of the entire sky visible from the Arecibo Observatory that began observations in early 2008. The international collaborative group of Drs. Charles Kerton (Iowa State University), Chris Salter (National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center/Arecibo Observatory), Roland Kothes (National Research Council - Canada), and Tyler Foster (Brandon University) will utilize GALFACTS to study supernova remnants (SNRs), HII regions and the large radio continuum loops and spurs found in our Galaxy. Both HII regions and SNRs play a vital role in the chemical and physical evolution of the interstellar medium, constantly reshaping the Galactic disk via ultraviolet radiation, stellar winds, explosive motions, and shocks. Detailed understanding of the properties of both SNRs and HII regions - their sizes, energies, global statistics - is thus of great importance in understanding the physical structure and evolution of the Galaxy, and by extension other more distant galaxies. GALFACTS will provide the highest resolution view ever of some of the large continuum loops and spur structures extending from the Galactic plane and provide important constraints on models of these objects which probably represent major structures in the local interstellar medium. The scientific return from the GALFACTS survey is expected to be extremely high and its data products will be of interest to a large community of researchers. Dr. Kerton's group plans to produce a catalog of extended continuum emission sources that will provide the definitive summary of the radio continuum sky as seen from Arecibo and will shape future studies by both his group and the wider astronomy community. In addition, the project will provide a research and training opportunity for both graduate and undergraduate students in Galactic astronomy with an emphasis on radio astronomy techniques and the handling and interpretation of large multi-wavelength data sets. Outreach activities are planned for both the general public and schools through the observatory visitor center at Arecibo, the planetarium at Iowa State University, and in cooperation with the Science Center of Iowa.