Faraday rotation from Abell clusters of galaxies

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (37) References (22) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Faraday Rotation from Abell Clusters of Galaxies Hennessy, G. S. ; Owen, F. N. ; Eilek, J. A. Abstract Observations performed with the Very Large Array (VLA) indicate that the distribution of rotation measures of sources seen behind Abell clusters of galaxies is not statistically different from the distribution of sources not behind clusters. A conservative upper limit of 55 rad m^-2^ is set for the amount of excess rotation which can be attributed to clusters of galaxies. This limit is influenced by the sources observed rather than by properties of the clusters. Assuming that the magnetic field of the cluster is not tangled, the conservative upper limit for excess Faraday rotation implies that the magnetic field strength is less than 6.8 x 10^-8^ G, which is lower than limits set from either energy equipartition arguments from cluster halos or from inverse Compton limits from X-ray observations. The use of the lower limits of the magnetic field strength, derived from clusters with diffuse radio halos, combined with the upper limit for Faraday rotation implies that the magnetic field is tangled on size scales of order a few tens of kiloparsecs. Using magnetic field strength estimates of 0.1 and 1 μG implies that the size scale for tangling is from 460 to 4 kpc, assuming a Hubble parameter of 75 km s^-1^ Mpc^-1^. These numbers scale inversely as the square of the excess Faraday rotation. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: December 1989 DOI: 10.1086/168104 Bibcode: 1989ApJ...347..144H Keywords: Faraday Effect; Galactic Clusters; Intergalactic Media; Gravitational Fields; Halos; Magnetic Flux; Very Large Array (Vla); Astrophysics; GALAXIES: INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM; MAGNETIC FIELDS; POLARIZATION full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (6) NED (5)