Largest cosmic magnetic field map created by CSIRO-led team
7 reported
A global team led by Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, has produced the largest-ever cosmic map of magnetic fields, charting them by measuring light from nearly 4 million galaxies. The map, named SPICE_RACS, was made using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope at the Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara observatory in Western Australia. Dr Alec Thomson, a CSIRO astronomer and astrophysicist, said the map will help scientists investigate fundamental questions about the physics of the universe, including how magnetic fields started and how they have changed since the big bang. Prof Naomi McClure-Griffiths, an author of the paper and chief scientist of the Square Kilometre Array observatory, noted that previous efforts did not even cover the southern sky and that scientists have been working with essentially the same dataset for 20 years. The dataset, five times larger and more detailed than previous efforts, has been published by the Astronomical Society of Australia and made available to scientists worldwide. Prof Lisa Harvey-Smith, an astrophysicist at UNSW Sydney who was not an author, said the map is a true open repository that will lead to many discoveries over the next few years.
What’s reported
The map is the largest ever produced of cosmic magnetic fields.
It was created by a global team led by the CSIRO.
The map measured light from nearly 4 million galaxies.
The telescope used is the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder in Western Australia.
The map is named SPICE_RACS.
The dataset is five times larger and more detailed than previous efforts.
The map has been published by the Astronomical Society of Australia and made available to scientists worldwide.
Key figures
Dr Alec Thomson, CSIRO astronomer and astrophysicist
Prof Naomi McClure-Griffiths, author of the paper and chief scientist of the Square Kilometre Array observatory
Prof Lisa Harvey-Smith, astrophysicist at UNSW Sydney (not an author of the paper)
Sources: The Guardian
