Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2008-09-18
Astrophys.J.690:1648-1658,2009
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
14 pages, 11 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ, For higher resolution, see http://www.kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~shogo/p
Scientific paper
10.1088/0004-637X/690/2/1648
We present a polarimetric map of a 20'x20' area toward the Galactic center. The polarization of point sources has been measured in the J, H, and Ks bands using the near-infrared polarimetric camera SIRPOL on the 1.4 m telescope IRSF. One percent or better accuracy of polarization degree is achieved for sources with J<14.5, H<13.5, and Ks<12.0. Comparing the Stokes parameters between high extinction stars and relatively low extinction ones, we have obtained a polarization originating from magnetically aligned dust grains at the central region of our Galaxy of at most 1-2 kpc. The distribution of the position angles shows a peak at about 20 deg, nearly parallel to the Galactic plane, suggesting a toroidal magnetic configuration. The derived direction of the magnetic field is in good agreement with that obtained from far-infrared/submillimeter observations, which detect polarized thermal emission from dust in the molecular clouds at the Galactic center. Our results show that by subtracting foreground components, near-infrared polarimetry allows investigation of the magnetic field structure "at" the Galactic center.
Hatano Hirofumi
Hough James H.
Kanai Saori
Kandori Ryo
Kurita Mikio
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