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Depolarization of synchrotron radiation in a multilayer magneto-ionic medium

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Andrew Fletcher, Professor Anvar ShukurovORCiD

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Abstract

Depolarization of diffuse radio synchrotron emission is classified in terms of wavelength-independent and wavelength-dependent depolarization in the context of regular magnetic fields and of both isotropic and anisotropic turbulent magnetic fields. Previous analytical formulas for depolarization due to differential Faraday rotation are extended to include internal Faraday dispersion concomitantly, for a multilayer synchrotron emitting and Faraday rotating magneto-ionic medium. In particular, depolarization equations for a two- and three-layer system (disk-halo, halo-disk-halo) are explicitly derived. To both serve as a "user's guide" to the theoretical machinery and as an approach for disentangling line-of-sight depolarization contributions in face-on galaxies, the analytical framework is applied to data from a small region in the face-on grand-design spiral galaxy M 51. The effectiveness of the multiwavelength observations in constraining the pool of physical depolarization scenarios is illustrated for a two- and three-layer model along with a Faraday screen system for an observationally motivated magnetic field configuration.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Shneider C, Haverkorn M, Fletcher A, Shukurov A

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Astronomy & Astrophysics

Year: 2014

Volume: 567

Print publication date: 01/07/2014

Online publication date: 14/07/2014

Acceptance date: 04/04/2014

ISSN (print): 0004-6361

ISSN (electronic): 1432-0746

Publisher: EDP Sciences

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201423470

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201423470

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