SOFIA Far Infrared Imaging Polarimetry of M82 and NGC 253: Exploring the Super-Galactic Wind

Understand

We present Far-Infrared polarimetry observations of M82 at 53 and $154~\mu \rm{m}$ and NGC 253 at $89~\mu \rm{m}$, which were taken with HAWC+ in polarimetry mode on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).

• The polarization of M82 at $53~\mu \rm{m}$ clearly shows a magnetic field geometry perpendicular to the disk in the hot dust emission.
• For M82 the polarization at $154~\mu \rm{m}$ shows a combination of field geometry perpendicular to the disk in the nuclear region, but closer to parallel to the disk away from the nucleus.
• The fractional polarization at $53~\mu \rm{m}$ $(154~\mu \rm{m})$ ranges from 7% (3%) off nucleus to 0.5% (0.3%) near the nucleus.