Interstellar polarization and grain alignment: the role of iron and silicon

Abstract

We compiled the polarimetric data for a sample of lines of sight with known abundances of Mg, Si, and Fe. We correlated the degree of interstellar polarization $P$ and polarization efficiency (the ratio of $P$ to the colour excess $E(B-V)$ or extinction $A_V$) with dust phase abundances. We detect an anticorrelation between $P$ and the dust phase abundance of iron in non silicate - containing grains $< [\rm Fe(rest)/H > ]_\rm d$, a correlation between $P$ and the abundance of Si, and no correlation between $P/E(B-V)$ or $P/A_V$ and dust phase abundances. These findings can be explained if mainly the silicate grains aligned by the radiative mechanism are responsible for the observed interstellar linear polarization.

Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

References in corpus (8)

• An Analysis of the Shapes of Interstellar Extinction Curves. V. The IR-Through-UV Curve Morphology
• Radiative torques: Analytical Model and Basic Properties
• The shape and composition of interstellar silicate grains
• Alignment of Dust with Magnetic Inclusions: Radiative Torques and Superparamagnetic Barnett and Nuclear Relaxation
• Observational Constraints on Interstellar Grain Alignment
• Angle-dependent radiative grain alignment; Confirmation of a magnetic field - radiation anisotropy angle dependence on the efficiency of interstellar grain alignment
• A temporal study of oxygen-rich pulsating variable AGB star, T Cep: Investigation on dust formation and dust properties
• On the Disalignment of Interstellar Grains

Cited by in corpus (19)

• A unified model of grain alignment: radiative alignment of interstellar grains with magnetic inclusions
• Grain Alignment by Radiative Torques in Special Conditions and Implications
• Dust in the diffuse interstellar medium: Extinction, emission, linear and circular polarisation
• The ESO Diffuse Interstellar Bands Large Exploration Survey: EDIBLES I. Project description, survey sample and quality assessment
• Interstellar extinction and interstellar polarization: old and new models
• Polarizing efficiency as a guide of grain growth and interstellar magnetic field properties
• Effects of grain growth on the interstellar polarization curve
• HD 62542: Probing the Bare, Dense Core of a Translucent Interstellar Cloud
• Asymmetries in SN 2014J Near Maximum Light Revealed Through Spectropolarimetry
• Dark dust II: Properties in the general field of the diffuse ISM
• Mapping Circumstellar Matter with Polarized Light - The Case of Supernova 2014J in M82
• Systematic variations of interstellar linear polarization and growth of dust grains
• Constraints on interstellar dust models from extinction and spectro-polarimetry
• Polarization, Polarizing Efficiency, and Grain alignment towards the direction of the cluster NGC 2345
• Ultraviolet Spectropolarimetry with Polstar: Interstellar Medium Science
• Grain Alignment: Role of Radiative Torques and Paramagnetic Relaxation
• Far-infrared emission of massive stars
• Polarization position angle standard stars: a reassessment of $\theta$ and its variability for seventeen stars based on a decade of observations
• On interstellar light polarization by diamagnetic silicate and carbon dust in the infrared