paper

Magnetic Visions: Mapping Cosmic Magnetism with LOFAR and SKA

arXiv:0804.4594

Abstract

The origin of magnetic fields in the Universe is an open problem in astrophysics and fundamental physics. "Cosmic Magnetism" has been accepted as Key Science Project both for the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR, under construction) and the planned Square Kilometre Array (SKA). At low frequencies LOFAR and SKA will allow to map the structure of weak magnetic fields in the outer regions and halos of galaxies, in galaxy clusters and in the Milky Way. High-resolution polarization observations at high frequencies with the SKA will trace magnetic fields in the disks and central regions of galaxies in unprecedented detail. All-sky surveys of Faraday rotation measures (RM) towards polarized background sources will be used to model the structure and strength of the magnetic fields in the Milky Way, the interstellar medium of galaxies and the intergalactic medium. The new method of "RM Synthesis", applied to spectro-polarimetric data cubes, will separate RM components from different distances and allow 3-D "Faraday tomography". Magnetic fields in distant galaxies and clusters and in intergalactic filaments will be searched for by deep imaging of weak synchrotron emission and of RM towards background sources. This will open a new era in the observation of cosmic magnetic fields.

8 pages, 6 figures. To be published in "Magnetic Fields in the Universe II (2008)", eds. A. Esquivel et al., Rev. Mex. Astron. Astrof. (SC)

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