Speaker
Description
Advances in submillimetre dust emission polarimetry are revolutionizing our understanding of the magnetic fields which thread the interstellar media of the Milky Way and other galaxies. In this talk I will discuss the insights which we are gaining into the energy balance, dynamics and evolution of the magnetized interstellar medium from recent observations made with the POL-2 polarimeter on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). These observations span size scales ranging from nearby star-forming regions, observed as part of the JCMT BISTRO Survey, to the magnetic fields of starburst and interacting galaxies. I will discuss how we can infer the dynamic importance of magnetic fields from observations of magnetic field geometries in the dense interstellar medium, and the emerging evidence for how the interaction between magnetic fields, outflows and feedback may influence star formation efficiency on both small and large scales. Finally, I will discuss the prospects of future far-infrared and submillimetre polarimetry with PRIMA and AtLAST.
