Related papers: Interstellar extinction and polarization -- A sphe…
We present a study of the polarizing power of the dust in cold dense regions (dark clouds) compared to that of dust in the general interstellar medium (ISM). Our study uses new polarimetric, optical, and spectral classification data for 36…
We present a synthesis of the astronomical observations constraining the wavelength-dependent extinction, emission, and polarization from interstellar dust from UV to microwave wavelengths on diffuse Galactic sightlines. Representative…
To elucidate the dust properties in the SMC we have for the first time measured linear polarization in five colors in the optical region of the spectrum for a sample of reddened stars. For two of these stars, for which there were no…
We present a general framework on how the polarization of radiation due to scattering, dichroic extinction, and birefringence of aligned spheroidal dust grains can be implemented and tested in 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer (MCRT) codes.…
For aspherical interstellar dust grains aligned with their short axes preferentially parallel to the local magnetic field, the amount of extinction per grain is larger when the magnetic field is along the line of sight and smaller when in…
Interstellar extinction includes both absorption and scattering of photons from interstellar gas and dust grains, and it has the effect of altering a source's spectrum and its total observed intensity. However, while multiple absorption…
Calculations are performed for the linear polarization of starlight due to extinction by aligned dust grains when the starlight traverses a medium with irregular magnetic fields. This medium is intended to represent the optically thick…
Interstellar linear polarization occurs when starlight passes through elongated dust grains aligned by interstellar magnetic fields. The observed polarization can come from different dust structures along the line of sight (LOS). By…
We study the IR-through-UV interstellar extinction curves towards 328 Galactic B and late-O stars. We use a new technique which employs stellar atmosphere models in lieu of unreddened "standard" stars. This technique is capable of virtually…
The large majority of extinction sight lines in our Galaxy obey a simple relation depending on one parameter, the total-to-selective extinction coefficient, Rv. Different values of Rv are able to match the whole extinction curve through…
We present a method to simultaneously infer the interstellar extinction parameters $A_0$ and $R_0$, stellar effective temperature $T_{\rm eff}$, and distance modulus $\mu$ in a Bayesian framework. Using multi-band photometry from SDSS and…
The dust extinction curve is a critical component of many observational programs and an important diagnostic of the physics of the interstellar medium. Here we present new measurements of the dust extinction curve and its variation towards…
A detailed study of interstellar polarization efficiency toward molecular clouds is used to attempt discrimination between grain alignment mechanisms in dense regions of the ISM. Background field stars are used to probe polarization…
A photon of wavelength lambda ~1 micron interacting with a dust grain of radius a_p ~ 1 mm (a "pebble") undergoes scattering in the forward direction, largely within a small characteristic diffraction angle theta_s ~ lambda/a_p ~ 100".…
We analyze extragalactic extinction profiles derived through gamma-ray burst afterglows, using a dust model specifically constructed on the assumption that dust grains are not immutable but respond time-dependently to the local physics.…
We investigate the efficiency of interstellar polarization $p_\lambda/A_\lambda$ where $p_\lambda$ is the fractional linear polarization and $A_\lambda$ is extinction, in 16 lines of sight as a function of wavelength $\lambda$. We have used…
We model the polarized thermal dust emission from protostellar cores that are assembled by super-sonic turbulent flows in molecular clouds. Self-gravitating cores are selected from a three dimensional simulation of super-sonic and…
The dielectric function of interstellar dust material is modeled using observations of extinction and polarization in the infrared, together with estimates for the mass of interstellar dust. The "astrodust" material is assumed to be a mix…
Polarization carries information about the magnetic fields in interstellar clouds. The observations of polarized dust emission are used to study the role of magnetic fields in the evolution of molecular clouds and the initial phases of…
(abridged) The polarized thermal radiation at far infrared and submillimeter wavelengths from dust grains in interstellar clouds with irregular magnetic fields is simulated. We show that the polarization properties of quiescent clouds and…