QUANTUM SUPPRESSION of ALIGNMENT in ULTRASMALL GRAINS: MICROWAVE EMISSION from SPINNING DUST WILL BE NEGLIGIBLY POLARIZED

B. T. Draine; Brandon S. Hensley

doi:10.3847/0004-637X/831/1/59

QUANTUM SUPPRESSION of ALIGNMENT in ULTRASMALL GRAINS: MICROWAVE EMISSION from SPINNING DUST WILL BE NEGLIGIBLY POLARIZED

B. T. Draine, Brandon S. Hensley

Astrophysical Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

The quantization of energy levels in small, cold, free-flying nanoparticles suppresses dissipative processes that convert grain rotational kinetic energy into heat. For interstellar grains small enough to have ?GHz rotation rates, the suppression of dissipation can be extreme. As a result, alignment of such grains is suppressed. This applies both to alignment of the grain body with its angular momentum J, and to alignment of J with the local magnetic field B0. If the anomalous microwave emission is rotational emission from spinning grains, then it will be negligibly polarized at GHz frequencies, with P≈10^?6 at ? > 10 GHz.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	59
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	831
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/831/1/59
State	Published - Nov 1 2016

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

Keywords

ISM: magnetic fields
Polarization
cosmic background radiation
dust, extinction
molecular processes
solid state: refractory

Access to Document

10.3847/0004-637X/831/1/59

Cite this

@article{19d9d94e2dd44d70a38bcdcb34febf9e,

title = "QUANTUM SUPPRESSION of ALIGNMENT in ULTRASMALL GRAINS: MICROWAVE EMISSION from SPINNING DUST WILL BE NEGLIGIBLY POLARIZED",

abstract = "The quantization of energy levels in small, cold, free-flying nanoparticles suppresses dissipative processes that convert grain rotational kinetic energy into heat. For interstellar grains small enough to have ?GHz rotation rates, the suppression of dissipation can be extreme. As a result, alignment of such grains is suppressed. This applies both to alignment of the grain body with its angular momentum J, and to alignment of J with the local magnetic field B0. If the anomalous microwave emission is rotational emission from spinning grains, then it will be negligibly polarized at GHz frequencies, with P≈10?6 at ? > 10 GHz.",

keywords = "ISM: magnetic fields, Polarization, cosmic background radiation, dust, extinction, molecular processes, solid state: refractory",

author = "Draine, {B. T.} and Hensley, {Brandon S.}",

year = "2016",

month = nov,

day = "1",

doi = "10.3847/0004-637X/831/1/59",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "831",

journal = "Astrophysical Journal",

issn = "0004-637X",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - QUANTUM SUPPRESSION of ALIGNMENT in ULTRASMALL GRAINS

T2 - MICROWAVE EMISSION from SPINNING DUST WILL BE NEGLIGIBLY POLARIZED

AU - Draine, B. T.

AU - Hensley, Brandon S.

PY - 2016/11/1

Y1 - 2016/11/1

N2 - The quantization of energy levels in small, cold, free-flying nanoparticles suppresses dissipative processes that convert grain rotational kinetic energy into heat. For interstellar grains small enough to have ?GHz rotation rates, the suppression of dissipation can be extreme. As a result, alignment of such grains is suppressed. This applies both to alignment of the grain body with its angular momentum J, and to alignment of J with the local magnetic field B0. If the anomalous microwave emission is rotational emission from spinning grains, then it will be negligibly polarized at GHz frequencies, with P≈10?6 at ? > 10 GHz.

AB - The quantization of energy levels in small, cold, free-flying nanoparticles suppresses dissipative processes that convert grain rotational kinetic energy into heat. For interstellar grains small enough to have ?GHz rotation rates, the suppression of dissipation can be extreme. As a result, alignment of such grains is suppressed. This applies both to alignment of the grain body with its angular momentum J, and to alignment of J with the local magnetic field B0. If the anomalous microwave emission is rotational emission from spinning grains, then it will be negligibly polarized at GHz frequencies, with P≈10?6 at ? > 10 GHz.

KW - ISM: magnetic fields

KW - Polarization

KW - cosmic background radiation

KW - dust, extinction

KW - molecular processes

KW - solid state: refractory

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84994262700&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84994262700&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3847/0004-637X/831/1/59

DO - 10.3847/0004-637X/831/1/59

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84994262700

SN - 0004-637X

VL - 831

JO - Astrophysical Journal

JF - Astrophysical Journal

IS - 1

M1 - 59

ER -

QUANTUM SUPPRESSION of ALIGNMENT in ULTRASMALL GRAINS: MICROWAVE EMISSION from SPINNING DUST WILL BE NEGLIGIBLY POLARIZED

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this