Related papers: Interstellar Grain Alignment - Observational Statu…
$\textit{Aims.}$ We present a case study to demonstrate the potential of multi-wavelength polarization measurements. The aim is to investigate the effects that dichroic polarization and thermal re-emission have on tracing the magnetic field…
Understanding the physics of how stars form is a highly-prioritized goal of modern Astrophysics, in part because star formation is linked to both galactic dynamics on large scales and to the formation of planets on small scales. It is…
The dependence of polarization fraction $p$ on total intensity $I$ in polarized submillimeter emission measurements is typically parameterized as $p\propto I^{-\alpha}$ $(\alpha \leq 1)$, and used to infer dust grain alignment efficiency in…
Motivated by a recent study by Lazarian and Draine, which showed that a high degree of grain alignment of the paramagnetic dust is achievable if the rates of internal relaxation are controlled by the Barnett relaxation process, we undertake…
Interstellar dust grains exhibit complex dynamics which is essential for understanding many key interstellar processes that involve dust, including grain alignment, grain growth, grain shattering etc. Grain rotational and translational…
Modern understanding of dust astrophysics reveals that RAdiative Torques (RATs) arising from the radiation-dust interaction can induce two fundamental effects, including grain alignment and rotational disruption. Here we review the recent…
Nine lectures reviewing the astrophysics of dust in interstellar clouds. Topics include: (1) Summary of observational evidence concerning interstellar dust: broadband extinction, scattering of starlight, polarization of starlight,…
Polarimetry in the far-infrared and submillimeter has been valuable in tracing magnetic fields in bright Galactic Clouds. We discuss the techniques we have developed and trends we have found in polarization vs column density, and vs…
Recent observational progress has challenged the dust grain-alignment theories used to explain the polarized dust emission routinely observed in star-forming cores. In an effort to improve our understanding of the dust grain alignment…
How and when in the star formation sequence do dust grains start to grow into pebbles is a cornerstone question to both star and planet formation. We compute the polarized radiative transfer from a model solar-type protostellar core, using…
Observations of the weak polarization of light from nearby stars, reported by Tinbergen (1982), are consistent with polarization by small, radius <0.14 microm, interstellar dust grains entrained in the magnetic wall of the heliosphere. The…
The radiative torque (RAT) alignment of interstellar grains with ordinary paramagnetic susceptibilities has been supported by earlier studies. The alignment of such grains depends on the so-called RAT parameter $q^{\max}$ that is determined…
We investigate the combined effect of solar wind, Poynting-Robertson drag, and the frozen-in interplanetary magnetic field on the motion of charged dust grains in our solar system. For this reason we derive a secular theory of motion by the…
It is well known that aligned, aspherical dust grains emit polarized radiation and that the degree of polarization depends on the angle $\psi$ between the interstellar magnetic field and the line of sight. However, anisotropy of the dust…
Dust polarisation observations at optical wavelengths help understand the dust grain properties and trace the plane-of-the-sky component of the magnetic field. In this study, we make use of published optical polarisation data acquired with…
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 present near infrared polarimetry data of background stars shining through a selection of starless cores taken in the $K$ band, probing visual extinctions up to $A_{V} \sim 48$. We find that $P_K/{\tau _K}$ continues to decline with…
Dust grains are important in various astrophysical processes and serve as indicators of interstellar medium structures, density, and mass. Understanding their physical properties and chemical composition is crucial in astrophysics. Dust…
Recent observation of linear optical polarization from brown dwarfs confirms the dust hypothesis in the atmospheres of brown dwarfs with effective temperature higher than 1400 K. The observed polarization could arise due to dust scattering…
A significant fraction of main sequence stars observed interferometrically in the near infrared have slightly extended components that have been attributed to very hot dust. To match the spectrum appears to require the presence of large…