The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to accommodate a 2.7 meter gyro-stabilized telescope, which is mainly focused to studying the Universe at infrared wavelengths. As part of the Strategic Director's Discretionary Time (S-DDT) program, SOFIA performs observations of relevant science cases and immediately offers science-ready data products to the astronomical community. We present the first data release of the S-DDT program on far-infrared imaging polarimetric observations of 30 Doradus using the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera-Plus (HAWC+) at 53, 89, 154, and 214 micron. We present the status and quality of the observations, an overview of the SOFIA data products, and examples of working with HAWC+ polarimetric data that will enhance the scientific analysis of this, and future, data sets. These observations illustrate the potential influence of magnetic fields and turbulence in a star-forming region within the Tarantula Nebula.
@article{arxiv.1811.03100,
title = {SOFIA Community Science I: HAWC+ Polarimetry of 30 Doradus},
author = {M. S. Gordon and E. Lopez-Rodriguez and B. -G. Andersson and M. Clarke and S. Coude and A. Moullet and S. N. Richards and R. Y. Shuping and W. Vacca and H. Yorke},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1811.03100},
year = {2018}
}
Comments
SOFIA Science Center White Paper, 20 pages, 14 figures, 3 tables