Presentation
CONTEXT
Anomalous Microwave Emission (AME) is potentially polarized in the frequency range [1-100] GHz. The polarization properties of this astrophysical signal have to be characterized and understood completely for one willing to remove Galactic foregrounds in order to detect B-mode polarization for cosmology. The characterization of AME polarization properties is also fundamental in term of Galactic Astrophysics to understand the mechanisms producing the AME.
PROJECT
The PolAME project uses the QUIJOTE-CMB experiment and its first instrument, the Multi-Frequency Instrument (MFI), for measuring the degree of polarization of the AME in the domain range [10-20] GHz on a sample of selected molecular clouds. This new data, in addition to the WMAP and PLANCK maps and ancillary data, is analysed and compared to theory and state-of-the-art modelling results.
PROGRESS
Observations have been obtained toward the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC) and the L1527 dark nebula as well as toward a series of Galactic molecular clouds and compact sources.
The data obtained toward the TMC and L1527 have been analysed and show low level of polarisation of the AME components associated to the TMC (<4.2 % at 95 C.L.) and L1527 (< 5.3% at 95 C.L.) at 30 GHz. It was also find that in the TMC and L1527 on average about 80% of the HII gas should be mixed with thermal dust. The analysis shows how the QUIJOTE-MFI 10–20 GHz data provides key information to properly separate the synchrotron, free–free and AME components. These results have been published in the MNRAS.
The analysis of the other subset of regions is currently under analysis and an article is in preparation.
IMPACT
The results obtained in the TMC and in L1527 expand the subset of regions published in the literature and confirm the low level of polarisation of the AME components expected from observation and analysis toward other Galactic regions.