Dust and Magnetic Field in Dense Regions of the Interstellar Medium

Author(s)

Antonio Armstrong Pereyra Quiros

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto Astronômico e Geofísico (IAG/SBD)
• Defense date: 2000-06-02

Examining board members

Antonio Mario Magalhaes; Jose Williams dos Santos Vilas Boas; Sayd Jose Codina Landaberry; Jacques Raymond Daniel Lepine; Walter Junqueira Maciel

• Advisor: Antonio Mario Magalhaes

Abstract

We have used CCD imaging polarimetry to study the geometry of the magnetic field and some properties of the interstellar dust in two regions of the Interstellar Medium of the Galaxy: the Musca Dark Cloud and a section of the IRAS Vela Shell towards HD62542. We initially describe the instrument employed with the Musca cloud, the IAG polarimeter, for which we developed control software. A very similar instrument was used at CTIO for the Vela Shell. We have also developed an IRAF software package to reduce and analyze polarimetric images in crowded fields (PCCDPACK). We next apply the technique to study two selected regions: the Musca Dark Cloud (MDC) and a section of IRAS Vela Shell (IVS). The end product is the construction of two catalogues, of approximately 2500 objects for MDC and 900 objects for IVS. For MDC, the analyses of the polarimetric data show a polarization lower limit of ~2% along the filamentary structure of the cloud, with peaks of 6-7% in the central regions. The geometry of the magnetic field is approximately perpendicular to filament, suggesting collapse along the field lines. However, when looked in detail, we detect variations in the polarization angle of ~30deg respect to the mean value of 110deg. The estimated strength of the magnetic field is in a range of 0.05-0.30 mgauss. The star count technique yields a lower limit of the total mass of the cloud of 139 solar masses. A large number of condensations are found, with a typical length scale L ~ 0.26 pc. The observed correlation between polarization and extinction suggests that the dust in MDC have different properties with respect to the dust in the diffuse Interstellar Medium. It also appears that the magnetic field along the cloud is viewed favorably so as to produce the observed polarization. The study in the section of the IVS towards HD 62542 allows us to detect a magnetic field parallel to the ionization front in sections of the cloud. However, in others regions, a perpendicular geometry is also evident. The estimated magnetic field is in the range of 0.02-0.11 mgauss and the magnetic pressure may dominate the turbulent pressure of gas in some regions. Evidence of clumpy structure is found with typical masses (1-4) solar masses and a length scale L ~ 0.47 pc. The polarization efficiency changes along the ionization front. It is clear that the properties of the dust are different of the interstellar medium in some regions. An optimum alignment of the polarization vectors is seen in some regions and it may reflect a favorable viewing geometry of the magnetic field with respect of the ionization front seeing edge on. (AU)