Infrared Mapping of Magnetic Fields in Star-Forming Regions in the Milky Way

宇宙中的许多星系在扁平的圆盘中具有巨大的螺旋形结构。这些结构由气体和恒星组成，它们的许多性质都受到磁场过程的影响。 该项目是利用近红外波长的观测研究我们银河系中的这种结构。 包含比以前多几千倍的探测的目录将被制作用于一般天文学用途，并向整个科学界发布。 三名研究生将接受培训，利用这些数据的各个方面来研究从银河系中星星形成到将其与其他邻近星系（如我们自己的星系）的性质进行比较的主题。 银河系磁场B-场几乎没有被表征，它对星际介质（ISM）的影响也知之甚少。对最近完成的银河平面红外偏振巡天数据集的全面分析将提供一个重要的飞跃。这将包括对盘中银河系B场模型的定量测试，以及确定盘中现在被认为表现出强烈偏离一般盘平行B场排列的区域的位置和性质。将银河系盘的GPIPS数据与附近边缘星系中的大规模B场连接起来，将提供重要的背景，并测试同步加速器无线电偏振跟踪的B场是否从热等离子体中产生，平滑地连接到冷的恒星形成ISM中的B场。对银河系重要区域的深入观测将在静止和恒星形成地点以毫秒差距的分辨率回答与B场相关的问题，并提供两种B场模型范例（强场与弱场）的关键测试。使用Mimir仪器和GPIPS进行的研究提供了重要的B场背景，从扩散的ISM外层分子云到密集的核心区域。新的K波段红外暗云和著名的大质量云核星星形成区域的Mimir偏振测量将达到足够深的深度，为毫米和亚毫米干涉偏振测量观察到的高柱密度区提供背景。GPIPS和Mimir数据产品在ISM中B场研究之外具有影响。GPIPS数据的社区使用将在恒星、恒星演化、星星团和银河系结构和组装方面产生新的发现。GPIPS数据产品和软件的项目支持确保其实用性和传统性。将本科生和研究生带到亚利桑那州在帕金斯望远镜上操作Mimir以进行基于班级的项目的计划将继续下去，并将包括参加BU RISE夏季计划的高中生。虽然人数不多（8年内约100名学生），但这些望远镜之旅对参与的学生产生了深刻的个人和职业影响，无论他们是来自研究生或本科观测班，还是来自BU的入门，非专业天文学课程。在波士顿科学博物馆天文系公开演讲的机会？的每周开放之夜，并在其他地方将积极争取这个项目。最后，三名研究生将完成博士学位，几名本科生和高中生将获得宝贵的研究经验。

Many galaxies in the Universe have large spiral-shaped structures in flat disks. Those structures consist of gas and stars, many of whose properties are governed by processes involving magnetic fields. This project is a study of such structures in our own Milky Way galaxy using observations at near-infrared wavelengths. Catalogs containing thousands of times more detections than available previously will be produced for general astronomical use and released to the entire scientific community. Three graduate students will be trained in using various aspects of these data to study topics ranging from star formation in the Milky Way to comparing it to the properties of other nearby galaxies like our own. The Galactic magnetic B-field has barely been characterized and its influence on the interstellar medium (ISM) is poorly known. Comprehensive analysis of the recently completed Galactic Plane Infrared Polarization Survey (GPIPS) data set will provide an important leap forward. This will include quantitative tests of models of the Galactic B-field in the disk as well as identifying the locations and natures of the regions in the disk now seen to exhibit strong departures from the general disk-parallel B-field alignment. Connecting what is seen in the GPIPS data for the Milky Way disk to large-scale B-fields in nearby edge-on galaxies will provide vital context as well as test whether the B-fields traced by synchrotron radio polarization, arising from hot plasma, connect smoothly to the B-fields in the cool, star-forming ISM. Deeper observations of important Galactic regions will answer B-field related questions with milli-parsec resolution in quiescent and star-forming sites and provide key tests of the two B-field model paradigms (strong vs weak fields). Studies resulting from using the Mimir instrument and from GPIPS provide vital B-field context, from the diffuse outer ISM layers of molecular clouds into the dense, core regions. New, K-band Mimir polarimetry of infrared dark clouds and well-known massive cloud core star formation regions will reach deep enough to provide context for the high column density zones observed with millimeter and submillimeter interferometric polarimetry. GPIPS and Mimir data products have impact outside the study of B-fields in the ISM. Community use of GPIPS data will yield new findings on stars, stellar evolution, star clusters, and Galactic structure and assembly. Project support of GPIPS data products and software ensure their utility and legacy. The program of bringing undergraduate and graduate students to Arizona to operate Mimir on the Perkins telescope for class-based projects will continue and will include high school students participating in BU's RISE summer program. Though modest in numbers (~100 students in 8 years), these trips to the telescope have had profound personal and career impact on the students participating, be they from graduate or undergraduate observational classes or from the introductory, non-majors astronomy courses at BU. Public presentation opportunities at the Boston Museum of Science, BU Astronomy Department?s weekly open nights, and elsewhere will be actively pursued for this project. Finally, three graduate students will complete PhDs and several undergraduates and High School students will gain valuable research experience.