English

Cosmic Magnetism Science with the SKA

Astrophysics of Galaxies 2026-07-01 v1

Abstract

Magnetic fields are a fundamental component of astrophysical systems, yet many key questions about their origin, amplification, and role in structure formation and evolution remain unresolved. The SKA will mark a transformational step forward in addressing these questions, enabling studies of cosmic magnetism across a large range of spatial scales and environments. This overview summarizes the main science cases in the Cosmic Magnetism Science Working Group, which cover a huge breadth of scales from the smallest scales governing planet and star formation, all the way up to the large-scale structure of the Universe. The chapter summarizes the main observational techniques for studying magnetic fields, including direct polarization imaging, Faraday rotation, rotation-measure grids, and Zeeman splitting. We also address fundamental considerations of these studies including SKA-Low vs SKA-Mid and wide-area vs deep observing strategies.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2607.00347,
  title  = {Cosmic Magnetism Science with the SKA},
  author = {Tessa Vernstrom and Jennifer L. West and Cathy Horellou},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.00347},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

Published in Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II (AASKAII), 2026 (arXiv:2606.20366). Report-no:AASKAII/Vernstrom01 . Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA II (AASKAII) outlines the transformative scientific advances that will be enabled by the SKA telescopes