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Abstract The polarization spectrum, or wavelength dependence of the polarization fraction, of interstellar dust emission provides important insights into the grain alignment mechanism of interstellar dust grains. We investigate the far-infrared polarization spectrum of a realistic simulated high-mass star-forming cloud under various models of grain alignment and emission. We find that neither a homogeneous grain alignment model nor a grain alignment model that includes collisional dealignment is able to produce the falling spectrum seen in observations. On the other hand, we find that a grain alignment model with grain alignment efficiency dependent on local temperature is capable of producing a falling spectrum that is in qualitative agreement with observations of OMC-1. For the model most in agreement with OMC-1, we find no correlation between the temperature and the slope of the polarization spectrum. However, we do find a positive correlation between the column density and the slope of the polarization spectrum. We suggest this latter correlation to be the result of wavelength-dependent polarization by absorption.
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This content will become publicly available on March 4, 2026
SOFIA Polarization Spectrum of Three Star-forming Clouds
Abstract The dust emission polarization spectrum—how the polarization percentage changes with wavelength—serves as a probe of dust grain properties in star-forming regions. In this paper, we present 89–214μm polarization spectrum measurements obtained from SOFIA/HAWC+ for three star-forming clouds: OMC1, M17, and W3. We find that all three clouds have an overall decreasing polarization percentage with increasing wavelength (i.e., a “falling polarization spectrum”). We use SOFIA and Herschel data to create column density and temperature maps for each cloud. We fit for the slope of the polarization spectrum at each sky position in each cloud, and using the Pearsonrcoefficient, we probe each cloud for possible correlations of slope with column density and slope with temperature. We also create plots of slope versus column density and slope versus temperature for each cloud. For the case of OMC1, our results are consistent with those presented by J. Michail et al., who carried out a similar analysis for that cloud. Our plots of polarization spectrum slope versus column density reveal that for each cloud there exists a critical column density below which a falling polarization spectrum is not observed. For these more diffuse sight lines, the polarization spectrum is instead flat or slightly rising. This finding is consistent with a hypothesis presented 25 yr ago in a paper led by R. Hildebrand based on Kuiper Airborne Observatory data. This hypothesis is that regions shielded from near-IR radiation are required to produce a sharply falling polarization spectrum.
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- PAR ID:
- 10591436
- Publisher / Repository:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 981
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 132
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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