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Optical Polarization of M 82

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2016

N. Neininger ,
R. Beck  and
F. Backes
N. Neininger
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69 D-5300 Bonn 1, Fed. Rep. of Germany
R. Beck
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69 D-5300 Bonn 1, Fed. Rep. of Germany
F. Backes
Affiliation:
2Landessternwarte Heidelberg, Königstuhl D-6900 Heidelberg 1, Fed. Rep. of Germany

Abstract

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We observed a sample of nearby galaxies using the CCD-Polarimeter of the Landessternwarte Heidelberg in the R-Band with the 1.23-m telescope of the MPIA at Calar Alto. In most cases polarization was found but the polarization structures cannot be easily related to a single phenomenon. If there is a strong point source, Rayleigh scattering leads to circular patterns of the polarization vectors. If dust grains are aligned in a magnetic field, this so-called Davis-Greenstein-mechanism gives more uniformly distributed E-vectors, which can be distinguished from the Rayleigh scattering. The example of M 82 given here shows both kinds of polarized light. There is evidence of a strong magnetic field component perpendicular to the disk which seems to have its origin in the center of the galaxy. This is consistent with theoretical models as well as with previous observations.

Type
5. The Polarization, Magnetic Field and Velocity Structure of External Spiral Galaxies
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 140: Galactic and Intergalactic Magnetic Fields , 1990 , pp. 253 - 254
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1990 

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