Dominic Schnitzeler (Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy)

Dominic Schnitzeler Colloquium: (adventures in) L L land

Marsfield Lecture Theatre

Abstract

How do galaxies form large-scale magnetic fields? And are these magnetic fields so strong that they influence gas dynamics? Polarization observations with radio telescopes can answer these questions by studying the so-called Faraday effect; however, the signal we are looking for is weak, and translating such measurements into the physical properties of the radio sources themselves and the intervening plasma (somewhere) along the line of sight is not a trivial task. In my talk I will illustrate this using examples from the literature and from my own work. Polarization measurements with broad-band radio receivers will open up a new window on the magnetized universe. To whet your appetite for things to come I will show recent results from a survey of southern-hemisphere radio sources with the ATCA, which is part of the S-PASS project.