Science and Research

Interstellar polarization allows us to study magnetic fields in the interstellar medium by measuring small variations in the electromagnetic oscillation direction of infrared light waves. This fundamental property of radiation is known as polarization. Astronomers know that interstellar magnetic fields exist because the thermal radiation originating from dust particles in molecular clouds is slightly polarized. This is because these dust particles tend to be elongated and aligned with respect to magnetic field lines, causing the dust thermal emission to be polarized. Therefore, by detecting polarized emission from dust grains in molecular clouds, observers can map magnetic fields in star-forming regions. However, the theories that explain why dust grains become aligned in the interstellar medium have not been sufficiently tested. Grain alignment theory is the critical missing connection between interstellar polarization and magnetic fields.

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Far-Infrared Polarization Spectrum of Rho-Oph A

Understanding how stars and their associated planetary systems are formed is one of the main challenges of modern astronomy. Indeed, the study of stellar birth is one of the key science targets of many current large astronomical observational surveys

In the Milky Way, stars are formed inside large clouds of dust and molecular gas that are located close to the plane of the Galaxy. These clouds tend to contract under the influence of their own gravity, becoming denser and fragmenting into clumps and cores that eventually become the birthplaces of stars and planets. This is a very intricate process that is further complicated by the fact that interstellar clouds are embedded within a network of magnetic field lines that have been observed across the entire Galaxy. Magnetic fields are a crucial piece of the puzzle because the field strength and geometry can affect the cloud contraction, potentially changing how quickly new stars and planets are formed, what are their masses, and other properties of planet-forming disks.

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Magnetic fields in Sh2-29