Parkes observations for project P996 semester 2018OCTS_24

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.

本研究拟利用超宽带低（Ultra-Wideband Low，UWL）接收机对约200颗脉冲星（本学期计划观测约100颗）开展偏振测量，以探究遥远旋臂内部及旋臂间银盘磁场的结构。此前基于帕克斯（Parkes）望远镜的脉冲星观测已在邻近旋臂及旋臂间区域发现磁场反转现象。我们期望借助UWL接收机的更高灵敏度，将此类观测拓展至更遥远的区域，从而能够更清晰地甄别不同的银盘磁场结构模型。此项研究将对银盘磁场生成理论以及其他依赖大尺度银盘磁场知识开展理论阐释的研究领域（例如宇宙线物理学）产生重要学术启示。