Exploring Cosmic Magnetic Fields and Interstellar Dust through Polarized Infrared Observations

星际空间并不空旷。恒星之间的空间由气体原子、分子和微小的固体颗粒组成，并被巨大的磁场所贯穿。研究人员将确定这些粒子和分子的特性以及它们如何与磁场相互作用。星际空间的组成部分在恒星和行星的形成中发挥着关键作用，但相关的天文观测却很少。这项研究将使用最大光学望远镜上的独特红外相机来观察一种称为多环芳烃（PAH）的特殊分子。 PAH 有效吸收紫外线并以红外线的形式重新发射能量。该光的偏振（振动方向）将被测量，从而告诉科学家这些多环芳烃被磁场抓住的程度（如果有的话）。该测量结果也是了解多环芳烃分子的详细特性（例如大小和电荷）的宝贵线索。他们的观测结果将为星际空间的内容提供更完整的图像，因为多环芳烃含有太空中所有碳的很大一部分。研究人员还将观察附近星系核心发生的强烈恒星形成爆发中的磁场。这张图像将揭示磁场、巨大的分子云和数百颗超新星如何在这个不寻常的区域相互作用。因此，他们的观测将为宇宙中最戏剧性的事件之一——星系中的超级星暴——的起源和随时间的变化提供线索。通过佛罗里达大学的远程观测设施，许多研究生和本科生将参与这项研究的各个方面。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Interstellar space is not empty. The space between stars teams with gas atoms, molecules, and tiny solid particles and is threaded by vast magnetic fields. The investigators will determine the properties of these particles and molecules and how they interact with those magnetic fields. The components of interstellar space play a key role in how stars and planets form, but relevant astronomical observations are scarce. This research will use a unique infrared camera on the largest optical telescope to look at a special type of molecule called a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). A PAH efficiently absorbs ultraviolet light and re-emits that energy in the form of infrared light. The polarization (vibration direction) of that light will be measured, thereby telling scientists how tightly, if at all, these PAHs are gripped by the magnetic field. That measurement is also a valuable clue to the detailed properties of the PAH molecules, such as size and electric charge. Their observations will provide a more complete picture of the contents of interstellar space, since PAHs contain a large fraction of all the carbon in space.The investigator will also observe the magnetic field in the intense burst of star formation occurring in the core of a nearby galaxy. This image will reveal how the magnetic fields, huge molecular clouds, and hundreds of supernova interact across that unusual region. Their observations will thereby provide clues to the origin and changes with time of one of the Universe's most dramatic occurrences, a super-starburst in a galaxy. Through the University of Florida's remote observing facility, many graduate and undergraduate students will be involved in all aspects of this research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.