The Magnetic Field and Cosmic Rays of the Milky Way

研究人员将模拟我们银河系的磁场。 银河磁场（GMF）被发现具有比以前认为的更大的尺度结构。磁场延伸到银河平面之上，就像地球磁场延伸到地球表面之外一样。这些研究将精确地确定GMF的结构，并更好地限制宇宙射线（相对论电子和原子核）的分布，这些宇宙射线被磁场从直线路径偏转。研究人员将继续开展促进妇女参与科学的“科学”计划，指导高中生，并扩大他们的天文学公开讲座。 了解GMF和宇宙射线的大尺度结构对于理解星系的演化至关重要，并对理解早期宇宙的结构和性质具有重要意义。它也具有实际重要性，可以用来确定银河系的辐射如何影响宇宙微波背景实验。这项研究将建立在研究人员的开创性工作的基础上，他们通过使用两种互补的可用天文数据发现了GMF的扩展部分，即1）遥远类星体偏振光的旋转测量（RM），以及2）遥远星系团的偏振发射图。在下一阶段的工作中，研究人员将：1）纳入普朗克卫星偏振同步辐射图，这将填补一个关键区域。2)结合更复杂和更真实的宇宙射线分布模型。3)利用更强大的计算能力来精确地对GMF的受扰分量进行建模。他们的工作将被物理学家用于研究暗物质，无论是通过湮灭还是衰变，以及用于识别高能宇宙射线的来源。

The investigators will model the magnetic field in our Milky Way Galaxy. The Galactic Magnetic Fields (GMF) were found to have much larger scale structures than previously thought. The magnetic field extends far above the Galactic plane, much as the magnetic field of the Earth extends far beyond the Earth's surface. These investigations will precisely determine the structure of the GMF, and better-constrain the distribution of cosmic rays (relativistic electrons and atomic nuclei), which are deflected from straight paths by the magnetic field.The investigators will continue their work with "WINS", a program to foster women's participation in science, mentor high school students and expand their public lectures on astronomy. Knowledge of the large scale structure of the GMF and cosmic rays is of fundamental importance for understanding the evolution of galaxies and has implications for understanding the structure and properties of the early universe. It is also of practical importance, for determining how the emission from our galaxy effects Cosmic Microwave Background experiments. This research will build on the groundbreaking work of investigators, who discovered the extended component of the GMF by using two complementary types of available astronomical data, namely 1) Rotation Measures (RMs) of polarized light from distant quasars, and 2) maps of polarized emission from distant clusters of galaxies.In the next phase of work the investigators will: 1) Incorporate the Planck Satellite polarized synchrotron emission maps, which will fill in a critical region. 2) Incorporate much more sophisticated and realistic modeling of the cosmic ray distribution. 3) Take advantage of greater computing power to accurately model the disturbed components of the GMF. Their work will be used by physicists studying Dark Matter, either through annihilation or decay, and for identifying the sources of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays.