scholarly journals Measuring and calibrating galactic synchrotron emission

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S259) ◽  
pp. 603-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Reich ◽  
Patricia Reich
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Angular Resolution ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Synchrotron Emission ◽  
Diffuse Emission ◽  
Sky Surveys ◽  
Zero Level ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Scale Properties ◽  
Relative Measurements

AbstractOur position inside the Galaxy requires all-sky surveys to reveal its large-scale properties. The zero-level calibration of all-sky surveys differs from standard ‘relative’ measurements, where a source is measured in respect to its surroundings. All-sky surveys aim to include emission structures of all angular scales exceeding their angular resolution including isotropic emission components. Synchrotron radiation is the dominating emission process in the Galaxy up to frequencies of a few GHz, where numerous ground based surveys of the total intensity up to 1.4 GHz exist. Its polarization properties were just recently mapped for the entire sky at 1.4 GHz. All-sky total intensity and linear polarization maps from WMAP for frequencies of 23 GHz and higher became available and complement existing sky maps. Galactic plane surveys have higher angular resolution using large single-dish or synthesis telescopes. Polarized diffuse emission shows structures with no relation to total intensity emission resulting from Faraday rotation effects in the interstellar medium. The interpretation of these polarization structures critically depends on a correct setting of the absolute zero-level in Stokes U and Q.

scholarly journals The Second Epoch Molonglo Galactic Plane Survey: Images and Candidate Supernova Remnants

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Green ◽  
S. N. Reeves ◽  
T. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Interstellar Medium ◽  
Supernova Remnants ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Supernova Remnant ◽  
Angular Resolution ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Postage Stamps ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Complete Survey ◽  
Extended Sources

AbstractThe second epoch Molonglo Galactic Plane Survey covers the area 245° ⩽l⩽ 365° and |b| ⩽ 10° at a frequency of 843 MHz and an angular resolution of 45 arcsec × 45 arcsec cosec(δ). The sensitivity varies between 1–2 mJy beam− 1depending on the presence of strong extended sources. This survey is currently the highest resolution and most sensitive large-scale continuum survey of the southern Galactic plane. In this paper, we present the images of the complete survey, including postage stamps of some new supernova remnant (SNR) candidates and a discussion of the highly structured features detected in the interstellar medium. The intersection of these two types of features is discussed in the context of the ‘missing’ SNR population in the Galaxy.

scholarly journals An Interpretation of the Distribution of Metre Wavelength Radio Emission

1968 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 167 ◽  
Author(s):  
KW Yates
Keyword(s):  
High Latitude ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Galactic Halo ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Absolute Calibration ◽  
Fundamental Difficulty ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Calibration Accuracy ◽  
Limit Estimate ◽  
Spiral Arm

A recent 85 MHz survey of the southern sky had an absolute calibration accuracy and resolution comparable with a number of surveys made for the northern skies. By combining the results of these surveys in both hemispheres a complete sky map has been produced, and in this paper an analysis is made of the distribution of the medium and high latitude emission. A fundamental difficulty encountered is the identification and isolation of the spurs of emission projecting from the galactic plane. Two hypotheses are proposed. The first attributes the spurs to a large-scale feature associated with the galactic core and the remaining emission to a galactic halo. The second postulates the origin of the spurs within the local spiral arm, which is itself considered to contribute significantly to the high latitude background. An upper-limit estimate of the emissivity of the local arm is made from currently available independent data. Using this result a model local arm is proposed, which, together with an isotropic component from beyond the Galaxy and a small additional galactic component, explains the observed distribution.

A CO Survey of the Southern Galactic Plane

1981 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. McCutcheon ◽  
B. J. Robinson ◽  
J. B. Whiteoak
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Atomic Hydrogen ◽  
Molecular Hydrogen ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Galactic Centre ◽  
Hydrogen Distribution ◽  
Millimetre Wave ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Wave Emission

Millimetre-wave emission from the CO molecule has proven to be an extremely useful probe of the cold, dense clouds of molecular hydrogen in the Galaxy. Previous studies of the large-scale distribution of CO in the galactic plane (Scoville and Solomon 1975; Burton et al. 1975; Bash and Peters 1976; Burton and Gordon 1978; Solomon et al. 1979b; Cohen et al. 1980) have all been of the northern hemisphere and primarily at longitudes 0° ≤ l ≥ 80°. These studies have revealed the striking characteristic that the CO, and by implication molecular hydrogen clouds, are concentrated in a ring extending from 4 to 8 kpc from the galactic centre. This is in sharp contrast to the atomic hydrogen distribution, which is fairly constant over the extended region from 4 to 13 kpc but correlates well with other Population I indicators.

scholarly journals Gamma-ray observations and the large scale structure of the galaxy

1979 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 125-130
Author(s):  
J. A. Paul
Keyword(s):  
Present Status ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gamma Ray ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Large Scale Structure ◽  
Galactic Disc ◽  
Γ Radiation ◽  
Latitude Dependence ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Γ Ray

Within the last few years, γ-ray astronomy has shifted from the discovery phase to the exploratory phase, thanks to the SAS-2 and COS-B satellites. The strongest feature of the γ-ray sky is the overwhelming emission of the galactic disc; even the radiation observed away from the galactic plane appears to be predominantly galactic, on the basis of its latitude dependence (Fichtel et al., 1978). Nevertheless, extragalactic γ-ray astronomy is not hopeless: the γ-radiation of the nearby quasar 3C273 has been very recently detected (Swanenburg et al., 1978). A brief summary of the present status of the galactic γ-ray astronomy follows.

scholarly journals Distribution of CO in the Southern Milky Way and large-scale structure in the Galaxy

1985 ◽  
Vol 106 ◽  
pp. 203-204
Author(s):  
W.H. Mccutcheon ◽  
B. J. Robinson ◽  
R. N. Manchester ◽  
J. B. Whiteoak
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Large Scale Structure ◽  
Sampling Interval ◽  
Scale Structure ◽  
Plane Region ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Csiro Division

The southern galactic-plane region, in the ranges 294° ≤ 1 ≤ 358°, −0°.075 ≤ b ≤ 0°.075, has been surveyed in the J = 1–0 line of 12CO with a sampling interval of 3′ arc. Observations were made with the 4-metre telescope at the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics in 1980 and 1981. Details of equipment and observing procedure are given in Robinson et al. (1982, 1983); see also McCutcheon et al. (1983).

scholarly journals Radio Continuum Surveys of the Galaxy and Galaxies

2002 ◽  
Vol 199 ◽  
pp. 262-267
Author(s):  
Richard Wielebinski
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Fields ◽  
Radio Emission ◽  
Linear Polarization ◽  
Angular Resolution ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Radio Continuum ◽  
Sky Surveys ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
Radio Frequencies

Radio sky surveys give us basic information about the origin of the radio emission from the Galaxy. By mapping the sky at several radio frequencies a separation of the thermal and non-thermal emission components is possible. The major part of the low-frequency radio emission comes from the synchrotron process, the braking of relativistic electrons in magnetic fields. By mapping the linear polarization at several frequencies (required for the correction of the Faraday rotation) the orientation of the magnetic fields in the emitting regions can be deduced. Older all-sky surveys at 30, 150 and 408 MHz have now been supplemented by new observations of the Galaxy at 45 and 1420 MHz. These surveys, in addition to being important as tracers of the morphology of the magnetic fields in the Galaxy, are also required to correct for the ‘foreground’ features in cosmological studies of the COBE data and the PLANCK surveys in the future. Studies of the Galaxy in polarization have been made some years ago indicating high percentage of linear polarization in various directions. More recent work with good angular resolution has shown spectacular polarized intensity structures in selected regions. Low-frequency data with good angular resolution are urgently required for the interpretation of these features.Observations of nearby galaxies in radio continuum (both total power and polarized intensity) have given us the possibility to study magnetic fields in objects at known distances. Polarization observations of nearby galaxies have confirmed the existence of regular magnetic fields in practically every object so far studied. Originally data were obtained from large single-dish telescopes, notably from Effelsberg and Parkes. These data were greatly enhanced by the addition of higher resolution components from the VLA and ATCA respectively. These results indicate surprisingly homogeneous magnetic fields in most galaxies. High angular resolution observations with the GMRT at lower radio frequencies will add a new dimension to the data on galaxies.

scholarly journals GLOSTAR: Radio Source Catalog I. 28° <  ℓ < 36° and |b| < 1°

2019 ◽  
Vol 627 ◽  
pp. A175 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.-N. X. Medina ◽  
J. S. Urquhart ◽  
S. A. Dzib ◽  
A. Brunthaler ◽  
B. Cotton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Software Package ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Planetary Nebulae ◽  
Radio Continuum ◽  
Spectral Indices ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Reported Data ◽  
Cross Matching

Context. Radio continuum surveys of the Galactic plane are an excellent way to identify different source populations such as planetary nebulae, H II regions, and radio stars and characterize their statistical properties. The Global View of Star Formation in the Milky Way (GLOSTAR) survey will study the star formation in the Galactic plane between −2° < ℓ < 85° and |b| < 1° with unprecedented sensitivity in both flux density (∼40 μJy beam−1) and range ofangular scales (∼1".5 to the largest radio structures in the Galaxy). Aims. In this paper we present the first results obtained from a radio continuum map of a 16-square-degree-sized region of the Galactic plane centered on ℓ = 32° and b = 0° (28° < ℓ < 36° and |b| < 1°). This map has a resolution of 18″ and a sensitivity of ∼60−150 μJy beam−1. Methods. We present data acquired in 40 h of observations with the VLA in D-configuration. Two 1 GHz wide sub-bands were observed simultaneously and they were centered at 4.7 and 6.9 GHz. These data were calibrated and imaged using the Obit software package. The source extraction was performed using the BLOBCAT software package and verified through a combination of visual inspection and cross-matching with other radio and mid-infrared surveys. Results. The final catalog consists of 1575 discrete radio sources and 27 large scale structures (including W43 and W44). By cross-matching with other catalogs and calculating the spectral indices (S(ν) ∝ να), we have classified 231 continuum sources as H II regions, 37 as ionization fronts, and 46 as planetary nebulae. The longitude and latitude distribution and negative spectral indices are all consistent with the vast majority of the unclassified sources being extragalactic background sources. Conclusions. We present a catalog of 1575 radio continuum sources and discuss their physical properties, emission nature, and relation to previously reported data. These first GLOSTAR results have increased the number of reliable H II regions in this part of the Galaxy by a factor of four.

scholarly journals Filamentary Structures Near the Galactic Center

1989 ◽  
Vol 136 ◽  
pp. 243-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Yusef-Zadeh
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Galactic Rotation ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Magnetic Structures ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Field Lines ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Recent studies of the Galactic center environment have revealed a wealth of new thermal and nonthermal features with unusual characteristics. A system of nonthermal filamentary structures tracing magnetic field lines are found to extend over 200pc in the direction perpendicular to the Galactic plane. Ionized structures, like nonthermal features, appear filamentary and show forbidden velocity fields in the sense of Galactic rotation and large line widths. Faraday rotation characteristics and the flat spectral index distributions of the nonthermal filaments suggest a mixture of thermal and nonthermal gas. Furthermore, the relative spatial distributions of the magnetic structures with respect to those of the ionized and molecular gas suggest a physical interaction between these two systems. In spite of numerous questions concerning the origin of the large-scale organized magnetic structures, the mechanism by which particles are accelerated to relativistic energies, and the source or sources of heating the dust and gas, recent studies have been able to distinguish the inner 200pc of the nucleus from the disk of the Galaxy in at least two more respects: (1) the recognition that the magnetic field has a large-scale structure and is strong, uniform and dynamically important; and (2) the physics of interstellar matter may be dominated by the poloidal component of the magnetic field.

scholarly journals Large-Scale Bubble Structure of the Interstellar Medium (ISM) and Properties of the Local Spiral Arm (LSA)

1984 ◽  
Vol 81 ◽  
pp. 305-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay G. Bochkarev
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Taylor Instability ◽  
Stellar Association ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Common Structure ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Grand Design ◽  
Bubble Structure ◽  
Dust Distribution

AbstractBubbles are very common structure units in the Galaxy and galaxies. Collection of radio, optical, infrared and x-ray observations of the Cyg superbubble (CSB) region of the sky show that the CSB is not a single bubble object. Between 50 to 75 percent of its x-ray emission can be ascribed to discrete sources. The other 25 to 50% x-ray emission, probably originates from bubbles around 8 OB associations of the region. All bubbles located within the spiral structure of Galaxy, M31 and M33 have diameter ≲ 300pc.The large distance of stellar association from the galactic plane (GP) combined with picture of the gas distribution within the LSA shows that a Reyleigh-Taylor instability in the LSA can develop and give use to the formation of compact steller clusters, such as the Cyg OB2 association. Development stages of the Reyleigh-Taylor instability, some peculiarities of the dust distribution and departures of the local structure from the galactic grand design suggest the absence of a spiral Shockwave in the LSA.

scholarly journals High Velocity Clouds in the Galaxy

1995 ◽  
Vol 164 ◽  
pp. 129-132
Author(s):  
Felix J. Lockman
Keyword(s):  
High Velocity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Spectral Lines ◽  
Galactic Rotation ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
High Velocity Clouds ◽  
Major Review ◽  
Lower Limits

Early observers measuring 21 cm HI profiles away from the Galactic plane found not only the emission near zero velocity expected from gas in the immediate vicinity of the Sun, but also occasional emission at velocities reaching several hundred km s−1. It seemed unlikely that these spectral lines could come from gas in normal galactic rotation (they are sometimes found at |b| > 45°), and so began the puzzle of “high-velocity clouds” (HVCs). The early result that all HVCs had negative velocity implying that they were infalling was soon shown to be incorrect with the discovery of many positive velocity clouds in the southern hemisphere. Attempts to determine the distance to HVCs by searching for them in absorption against stars yielded only lower limits, typically > 1 kpc. By 1984 several large-scale surveys had established that a significant fraction of the sky was covered with high velocity HI (e.g., Oort, 1966; Giovanelli, 1980). A recent major review is by Wakker (1991a; see also van Woerden, 1993). For this brief presentation to a specialized audience, I will concentrate on issues that may be relevant to the topic of stellar populations.

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