When:
Thursday, January 14, 2016
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT
Where: Technological Institute, F160, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 map it
Audience: Faculty/Staff - Student - Public
Contact:
Pamela Villalovoz
(847) 491-3644
Group: Physics and Astronomy Special Events and Invited Talks
Category: Academic
Title: "Uncovering the Link Between Magnetic Fields and Star Formation"
Speaker: Ian Stephens, Boston University
Abstract: The role of magnetic fields during star formation — at all scales — has been a heated topic for decades. The magnetic field morphology can be discerned from polarized light emitted from dust grains. In this talk I will discuss the current observational constraints on the magnetic field morphology at the scales of star-forming filaments and at the scales of protostellar outflows and disks. The current constraints are very limited, but large polarimetric surveys will finally be possible within the next couple years. Specifically, ALMA, SOFIA, and BLAST have just been upgraded to probe the magnetic field morphology. These new results will answer fundamental questions about the role of magnetic fields during the star formation process from scales of molecular clouds (10s of pc) to the protostellar disks (10s of AU).
Speaker Schedule
Hosted by Giles Novak and Farhad Yusef-Zadeh