Sun et al. present data processing and verification of the Southern Twenty-centimetre All-sky Polarization Survey (STAPS) conducted with Murriyang, the Parkes 64-m telescope. The survey covers the southern sky between declinations of −89 degrees and 0 degrees, with the frequency range of 1.3-1.8 GHz split into 1-MHz channels. STAPS was observed commensally with the S-band Polarization All-Sky Survey (S-PASS). The surveys were conducted using long azimuth scans, which allows STAPS Stokes Q and U to be absolutely calibrated with the data processing procedure developed for S-PASS. Maps in Stokes I, Q, and U are obtained in both flux density scale (Jy/beam) and main beam brightness temperature scale (K), for the 301 frequency channels with sufficiently good data. All the STAPS maps are smoothed to a common resolution of 20 arcminutes. The rms noise per channel ranges from about 16 mK to 8 mK for I, and from about 8 mK to 5 mK for Q and U at frequencies from 1.3 to 1.8 GHz. STAPS delivers a 20 cm multi-frequency polarization view of the Galaxy, and will help advance our understanding of the Galactic magnetic field and magnetized interstellar medium.

The figure above shows the peak polarized intensity and Faraday depth derived from Faraday spectra.  From the image of peak polarized intensity, one can clearly see a boundary at Galactic latitude |b|~30 degrees below which extended, bright polarized emission at higher absolute latitudes is abruptly depolarized. Note that there is still polarized emission towards the Galactic plane, which is caused by instrumental leakage.