Correlation between Interstellar Polarization and Dust Temperature: Alignment of Grains by Radiative Torques is Ubiquitous?

Details Correlation between Interstellar Polarization and Dust Temperature: Alignment of Grains by Radiative Torques is Ubiquitous? Correlation between Interstellar Polarization and Dust Temperature: Alignment of Grains by Radiative Torques is Ubiquitous?

2011-01-22

arxiv.org/abs/1101.4253v2

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Galaxy Astrophysics

5 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in PASJ Letters, Vol.63, October 2011 issue

Scientific paper

We investigate the efficiency of interstellar polarization $p_\lambda/A_\lambda$ where $p_\lambda$ is the fractional linear polarization and $A_\lambda$ is extinction, in 16 lines of sight as a function of wavelength $\lambda$. We have used the data obtained with the low-dispersion spectropolarimeter HBS as well as those in literature. It is found that the polarization efficiency $p_\lambda/A_\lambda$ is proportional to $\exp(-\beta/\lambda)$ in wavelength $\lambda \approx 0.4-0.8 \micron$, where $\beta$ is a parameter which varies from 0.5 to 1.2 $\micron$. We find that $\beta$ is negatively correlated with the dust temperature deduced from infrared data by Schlegel et al., suggesting that the polarization efficiency is higher in short wavelength for higher temperature. According to the alignment theory by radiative torques (RATs), if the radiation is stronger and bluer, RATs will make small grains align better, and the polarization efficiency will increase in short wavelength. Our finding of the correlation between $\beta$ and the temperature is consistent with what is expected with the alignment mechanism by RATs.

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