GALFACTS Full-Stokes Studies of SNRs and HII Regions

银河阿雷西博L波段馈源阵列（ALFA）连续统凌日巡天（Galactic Arecibo L-Band Feed Array Transit Survey）是一个全斯托克斯1.4 GHz无线电连续统巡天，从2008年初开始观测阿雷西博天文台。 由Charles Kerton博士（爱荷华州州立大学）、Chris Salter博士（国家天文学和电离层中心/阿雷西博天文台）、罗兰科斯博士（加拿大国家研究理事会）和泰勒福斯特博士（布兰登大学）组成的国际合作小组将利用GALFACTS研究超新星遗迹（SNRs）、HII区域以及在银河系中发现的大型射电连续环和毛刺。HII区域和SNRs在星际介质的化学和物理演化中起着至关重要的作用，通过紫外线辐射，恒星风，爆炸运动和冲击不断重塑银河系盘。因此，详细了解SNR和HII区域的性质-它们的大小，能量，全局统计-对于理解银河系的物理结构和演化以及其他更遥远的星系具有重要意义。 星系将提供有史以来最高分辨率的视图，一些大的连续环和支线结构从银河平面延伸，并提供重要的约束模型，这些对象可能代表主要结构在本地星际介质。预计全球环境、交通和运输信息系统调查的科学回报将非常高，其数据产品将引起广大研究人员的兴趣。 Kerton博士的小组计划编制一份扩展连续谱发射源目录，该目录将提供从阿雷西博看到的无线电连续谱天空的明确摘要，并将塑造他的小组和更广泛的天文学界未来的研究。此外，该项目将为银河天文学的研究生和本科生提供研究和培训机会，重点是射电天文学技术以及大型多波长数据集的处理和解释。 计划通过阿雷西博天文台游客中心、爱荷华州州立大学天文馆并与爱荷华州科学中心合作，为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.