Parkes observations for project P996 semester 2018OCTS_12

We propose to measure the polarisation of ~200 pulsars (~100 this semester) using the Ultra-Wideband Low (UWL) receiver to investigate the structure of the Galactic disk magnetic field in and between distant spiral arms. Previous Parkes pulsar observations have revealed field reversals in nearby arm and interarm regions. We wish to exploit the greater sensitivity of the UWL receiver to extend this to more distant regions, thereby allowing us to distinguish more clearly between different models for the structure of the disk field. This work will have important implications for theories for the generation of Galactic magnetic fields and for other areas, e.g., cosmic-ray physics, which depend on a knowledge of the large-scale Galactic magnetic field for their interpretation.

本研究拟采用超宽频低（Ultra-Wideband Low, UWL）接收机对约200颗脉冲星开展偏振测量，本学期计划完成其中约100颗的观测，以此探究遥远旋臂内部及旋臂间的银盘磁场结构。过往基于帕克斯望远镜的脉冲星观测已在邻近旋臂与旋臂间区域发现磁场反转现象。本研究拟借助UWL接收机的更高灵敏度，将此类观测拓展至更遥远的银盘区域，从而能够更清晰地甄别银盘磁场结构的各类理论模型。此项研究将对银盘磁场生成理论及其他相关领域产生重要学术意义——例如宇宙射线物理学，该领域的研究阐释均依赖于对大尺度银盘磁场的认知基础。