New 3D Map Of Magnetic Field In Two Clouds Toward Ursa Major – Created

Eddie Gonzales Jr. – MessageToEagle.com – Researchers have created a 3D map of the magnetic field in two clouds toward Ursa Major, the constellation Ursa Major contains the group of stars commonly called the Big Dipper.

This achievement – the first attempt to tomographically measure the strength of our galaxy’s magnetic field – is important for future studies that will contribute to better understanding of origin and evolution of the Universe.

3-D view of the two clouds in which we mapped the magnetic field and their location in the Milky Way galaxy. Credit: Aris Tritsis and colleagues, Space Nebula Plugin for Unreal Engine 4, Fabian Fuchs & Linus Fuchs

“Our work paves the way for future discoveries regarding the evolution of the Milky Way, the formation of stars and planets and the early stages of our Universe,”lead researcher Dr Aris Tritsis from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) said in a press release.

The galaxy’s magnetic field and cosmic dust act like a veil that obscures the radiation from the early stages of our Universe – known as cosmic microwave background – and have prevented scientists from testing cosmological models for the Universe’s evolution.

For comparison: the 15 μG (micro Gauss) typically measured in the interstellar medium – as shown in the image above – is 10 million times smaller than the strength of a fridge magnet. Despite its small value and because it spans tens or hundreds of light years, it is extremely important for all the processes mentioned in this article.

“We now have the means to map the strength of the magnetic field for all regions of our galaxy, enabling us to better understand the Universe’s evolution,” Dr Tritsis said.

“The present work is proof that such an ambitious study is feasible. Our next step is to create the first full 3D map of the galaxy’s magnetic field and study all other astrophysical processes that depend on it.”

“Most models that predict the strength of our galaxy’s magnetic field for every location and distance from the Sun are based on observations that cannot probe the magnetic field in three dimensions,” said Professor Federrath, adding that the recent study helped to better understand  how ultra-high-energy cosmic rays travel through our galaxy. Cosmic rays are very energetic particles, some with energies much higher than what human-made accelerators can reach.

The researchers also found  that the galaxy’s strength was much higher than previously thought.

“By understanding the structure and strength of the magnetic field we can boost our chances of finding the locations of the sources of these extremely energetic particles and we can probe new physics at extreme energies,” Dr Tritsis said.

In this research, Dr Tritsis collaborated with RSAA colleague Associate Professor Federrath and Associate Professor Vasiliki Pavlidou from the University of Crete.

Paper

Written by Eddie Gonzales Jr. – MessageToEagle.com Staff Writer