Magnetic and optical spiral arms in the galaxy NGC 6946

Abstract

The spiral pattern in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 6946 has been studied using the wavelet transformation technique, applied to galaxy images in polarized and total non-thermal radio emission at lambda lambda3.5 and 6.2 cm, in broadband red light, in the lambda 21.1 cm H I line and in the optical H alpha line. Well-defined, continuous spiral arms are visible in polarized radio emission and red light, where we can isolate a multi-armed pattern in the range of galactocentric distances 1.5-12 kpc, consisting of four long arms and one short spiral segment. The 'magnetic arms' (visible in polarized radio emission) are localized almost precisely between the optical arms. Each magnetic arm is similar in length and pitch angle to the preceding optical arm (in the sense of galactic rotation) and can be regarded as its phase-shifted image. Even details like a bifurcation of an optical arm have their phase-shifted counterparts in the magnetic arms. The average relative amplitude of the optical spiral arms (the stellar density excess over the azimuthal average) grows with galactocentric radius up to 0.3-0.7 at r similar or equal to5 kpc, decreases by a factor of two at r=5-6 kpc and remains low at 0.2-0.3 in the outer parts of the galaxy. By contrast, the magnetic arms have a constant average relative amplitude (the excess in the regular magnetic field strength over the azimuthal average) of 0.3-0.6 in a wide radial range r=1.5-12 kpc. We briefly discuss implications of our findings for theories of galactic magnetic fields.