Interstellar magnetic field

The magnetic field that threads the gas and dust between stars. It influences how interstellar matter moves, collapses, and forms stars.

Magnetohydrodynamics: The study of electrically conducting fluids interacting with magnetic fields. This framework describes how the field and ionized interstellar gas move together.
Faraday rotation: The rotation of a linearly polarized radio wave as it travels through magnetized plasma. Its wavelength-dependent rotation probes the field component along the line of sight.
Interstellar medium: The gas, dust, cosmic rays, and magnetic fields occupying the space between stars. The magnetic field is one component of this multiphase material.
Stellar magnetism: Magnetic fields generated and maintained within stars. Stellar winds and explosions can inject magnetic flux and magnetized plasma into interstellar space.
Alfvén wave: A transverse disturbance that travels along magnetic field lines in a conducting fluid. These waves carry energy and momentum through magnetized interstellar gas.
Dust polarization: The polarized thermal emission or starlight produced by nonspherical dust grains aligned with magnetic fields. Its polarization pattern traces projected field directions in interstellar clouds.
Molecular cloud: A cold, dense interstellar cloud rich in molecular hydrogen, where stars commonly form. Molecular clouds concentrate gas and provide a setting for magnetic support and star formation.
Galactic dynamo: A process by which fluid motion and rotation amplify and organize a galaxy’s magnetic field. Dynamo theory explains how weak seed fields may grow into coherent galactic fields.
Magnetic reconnection: A process in which magnetic field lines change connectivity and release stored magnetic energy. Reconnection can alter field structure and heat interstellar plasma.
Zeeman effect: The splitting or polarization of spectral lines caused by a magnetic field. Zeeman measurements can estimate the field component along the line of sight.

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