Polarimetry at submillimeter and microwave wavelengths
Frederick Poidevin
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
The first part of the talk will focus on submillimeter polarimetry of molecular
clouds and star-forming regions in our galaxy. What are the exact processes leading
to the formation of stars is still poorly understood. Our knowledge on the subject
depends on our understanding of the nature of molecular clouds which can be tested
by comparing observed maps with numerical simulations. In this context I will
present an extensive analysis of the 850 microns (353 GHz) polarization maps of the
SCUBA Polarimeter Legacy (SCUPOL) Catalogue produced by Matthews et al., focusing on
the molecular clouds and star-forming regions. Conclusions regarding how simple,
ideal, isothermal, and non-self-gravitating MHD simulations may be sufficient in
order to describe the large-scale observed physical properties of some molecular
cloud will be given. Additional analysis of submillimeter polarimetry data and
continuum data respectively obtained, in the Lupus I molecular clouds, with the
BLASTPol balloon-borne experiment, and with the Herschel-SPIRE will be discussed in
this framework.
The second half of the talk will focus on polarimetry at microwave wavelengths. I
will give an overview of the QUIJOTE-CMB experiment based in the Canary Islands.
QUIJOTE is a new CMB experiment aimed at characterizing the low-frequency polarized
foregrounds and to detect the primordial B-mode signal down to a sensitivity on the
tensor to scalar ratio of r=0.05. The first QUIJOTE telescope and its first
instrument, the Multi-Frequency Instrument (MFI), observing in four bands between 10
GHz and 20 GHz are operative since november 2012. The maps provided by the MFI will
provide valuable information about the polarization properties of the synchrotron
emission, of anomalous microwave emission (AME) and of radio-sources. I will present
preliminary results of the observation campaign with the MFI. I will also discuss
the status of the second telescope and of a second instrument currently in their
commissioning phase.
Date: | Jeudi, le 8 janvier 2015 |
Heure: | 11:30 |
Lieu: | Université de Montréal |
| Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, Local D-460 |
Contact: | Pierre Bastien |
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