MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATION AT THE GALACTIC CENTER INVESTIGATED BY WIDE-FIELD NEAR-INFRARED POLARIMETRY: TRANSITION FROM A TOROIDAL TO A POLOIDAL MAGNETIC FIELD
- Department of Astronomy, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan)
- Department of Astrophysics, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602 (Japan)
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan)
- Kiso Observatory, Institute of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, 10762-30 Mitake, Kiso, Nagano 397-0101 (Japan)
- Department of Astronomical Sciences, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Sokendai), 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan)
- Centre for Astrophysics Research, Science and Technology Research Institute, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB (United Kingdom)
- Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, 1 Yamanohata, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8501 (Japan)
- Institute of Space and Astronomical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-5210 (Japan)
We present a large-scale view of the magnetic field (MF) in the central 2{sup 0} x 2{sup 0} region of our Galaxy. The polarization of point sources has been measured in the J, H, and K{sub S} bands using the near-infrared polarimetric camera SIRPOL on the 1.4 m Infrared Survey Facility telescope. Comparing the Stokes parameters between high extinction stars and relatively low extinction ones, we obtain polarization originating from magnetically aligned dust grains in the central few hundred parsecs of our Galaxy. We find that near the Galactic plane, the MF is almost parallel to the Galactic plane (i.e., toroidal configuration), but at high Galactic latitudes (|b | >0.{sup 0}4) the field is nearly perpendicular to the plane (i.e., poloidal configuration). This is the first detection of a smooth transition of the large-scale MF configuration in this region.
- OSTI ID:
- 21452769
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 722, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/722/1/L23; ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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