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The Galactic Magnetic Field from Pulsar Rotation Measures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2016

M. E. Costa
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252C Hobart, Tas 7000
P. A. Hamilton
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252C Hobart, Tas 7000
P. M. McCulloch
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252C Hobart, Tas 7000

Abstract

Pulsar rotation measures have been used to investigate the structure of the local Galactic magnetic field. The Galactic field is found to be concentrated in the spiral arms and hence to be a spiral field. From the pulsars within 2kpc of the Sun, the field in the local spiral feature was modelled with Gaussian profiles in altitude and azimuth. In this model the field has a peak strength of 4.3 ± 0.2 μGauss directed towards Galactic longitude l = 73°±6°.

Type
Galactic and Stellar
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 1991

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