IAU01672
Presentation type requested: POSTER
MAPPING THE LOCAL INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM WITH COMPACT AGN
Jim E Lovell
CSIRO ATNF

Irrefutable evidence has now accumulated showing that the intra-day variability (IDV) observed at cm-wavelengths in 15-20% of flat-spectrum AGN is caused by scintillation in the turbulent interstellar medium (ISM). The IDV of some sources presents strong evidence that the ISM is highly turbulent in clumps only 5-20 pc from Earth, yet the origin of this material is unknown. Here we present the first results for the ~150 scintillators found in our MASIV (Micro-Arcsecond Scintillation-Induced Variability) 5 GHz Survey of the northern sky. Using annual cycles observed in these sources' variability timescales, we are mapping the distribution and motions of the scattering material transverse to the line of sight across the sky. By analysing the characteristics of the intensity variations, we also plan to derive information on the magnetic field structure in the local ISM.

Bignall Hayley E, Jauncey David L, Kedziora-Chudczer Lucyna , Macquart J-P , Rickett B

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