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VIVA Hiobservations of the Virgo spiral galaxy NGC 4501 are presented. The Hidisk is sharply truncated to the southwest, well within the stellar disk. A region of low surface-density gas, which is more extended than the main Hidisk, is discovered northeast of the galaxy center. These data are compared to existing 6 cm polarized radio continuum emission, Hα, and optical broad band images. We observe a coincidence between the western Hiand polarized emission edges, on the one hand, and a faint Hαemission ridge, on the other. The polarized emission maxima are located within the gaps between the spiral arms and the faint Hαridge. Based on the comparison of these observations with a sample of dynamical simulations with different values for maximum ram pressure and different inclination angles between the disk and the orbital plane, we conclude that ram pressure stripping can account for the main observed characteristics. NGC 4501 is stripped nearly edge-on, is heading southwest, and is ~$200{-}300$Myr before peak ram pressure, i.e. its closest approach to M 87. The southwestern ridge of enhanced gas surface density and enhanced polarized radio-continuum emission is due to ram pressure compression. It is argued that the faint western Hαemission ridge is induced by nearly edge-on ram pressure stripping. NGC 4501 represents an especially clear example of early stage ram pressure stripping of a large cluster-spiral galaxy.

Context.Because of its proximity the Virgo Cluster is an excellent target for studying interactions of galaxies with the cluster environment. Both the high-velocity tidal interactions and effects of ram pressure stripping by the intracluster gas can be investigated.

Deep observations are presented of the 6 cm polarized radio continuum emission of 8 Virgo spiral galaxies. All galaxies show strongly asymmetric distributions of polarized intensity with elongated ridges located in the outer galactic disk. These features are not found in existing observations of polarized radio continuum emission of field spiral galaxies, where the distribution of 6 cm polarized intensity is generally relatively symmetric and strongest in the interarm regions. We therefore conclude that most Virgo spiral galaxies and, most probably, the majority of cluster spiral galaxies show asymmetric distributions of polarized radio continuum emission due to their interaction with the cluster environment. The polarized continuum emission is sensitive to compression and shear motions in the plane of the sky and thus contains important information about the velocity distortions caused by these interactions.

Aims.In order to analyze the importance of the star formation rate in generating and amplifying magnetic fields in the interstellar medium we perform a deep continuum polarization study of three angularly large, late type spiral galaxies.

Using the Effelsberg radio telescope at 4.85 GHz and 8.35 GHz we discovered large symmetric lobes of polarized radio emission around the strongly Hideficient Virgo cluster spiral galaxy NGC 4569. These lobes extend up to 24 kpc from the galactic disk. Our observations were complemented by 1.4 GHz continuum emission from existing Hiobservations. This is the first time that such huge radio continuum lobes are observed in a cluster spiral galaxy. The eastern lobe seems detached and has a flat spectrum typical of in-situ cosmic ray electron acceleration. The western lobe is diffuse and possesses vertical magnetic fields over its whole volume. The lobes are not powered by an AGN, but probably by a nuclear starburst that occurred ${\sim} 30$Myr ago, producing ${\geq} 10^5$supernovae. Since the radio lobes are symmetric, they resist ram pressure due to the galaxy's rapid motion within the intracluster medium.

We performed a high-sensitivity search for galaxy-scale magnetic fields by radio polarimetry at 10.45 GHz and 4.85 GHz with the Effelsberg 100 m radio telescope, accompanied by Hαimaging, for the two Local Group irregular galaxies IC 10 and NGC 6822. Their star-forming bodies are small and rotate slowly. IC 10 is known to have a very high star-forming activity, resembling blue compact dwarfs, while NGC 6822 has a low overall star-formation level. Despite very different current star formation rates, our Hαimaging revealed a large web of diffuse Hαfilaments and shells in both IC 10 and NGC 6822. Some of them extend far away from the galaxy's main body. The total power emission of both objects shows bright peaks either at the positions of optically strong star-forming clumps (IC 10) or individual $\ion{H}{ii}$regions or supernova remnants (NGC 6822). However, in both cases we detect a smoothly distributed, extended component. In IC 10 we found clear evidence for the presence of a diffuse, mostly random magnetic field of $\simeq$14 μG strength, probably generated by a fluctuation dynamo. One of the Hα-emitting filaments appears to be associated with enhanced magnetic fields. We also rediscuss the reddening of IC 10 and its implications for its distance. In the case of NGC 6822 we found only very weak evidence for nonthermal emission, except perhaps for some regions associated with local gas compression. We detect in both galaxies small spots of polarized emission, indicative of regular fields ($\simeq $3 μG), at least partly associated with local compressional phenomena.

We present three-frequency VLA observations of the flocculent spiral galaxy NGC 4414 made in order to study the magnetic field structure in absence of strong density wave flows. NGC 4414 shows a regular spiral pattern of observed polarization $\vec B$-vectors with a radial component comparable in strength to the azimuthal one. The average pitch angle of the magnetic field is about 20°, similar to galaxies with a well-defined spiral pattern. This provides support for field generation by a turbulent dynamo without significant “contamination” from streaming motions in spiral arms. While the stellar light is very axisymmetric, the magnetic field structure shows a clear asymmetry with a stronger regular field and a smaller magnetic pitch angle in the northern disk. Extremely strong Faraday rotation is measured in the southern part of the disk, becoming Faraday thick at 6 cm. The distribution of Faraday rotation suggests a mixture of axisymmetric and higher-mode magnetic fields. The strong Faraday effects in the southern region suggest a much thicker magnetoionic disk and a higher content of diffuse ionized gas than in the northern disk portion. An elongation of the 20 cm total power emission is also seen towards the South. Although NGC 4414 is currently an isolated spiral, the asymmetries in the polarized radio emission may be sensitive tracers of previous encounters, including weak interactions which would chiefly affect the diffuse gas component without generating obvious long-term perturbations in the optical structure.

A three-dimensional (3D) MHD model is applied to simulate the evolution of a large-scale magnetic field in a barred galaxy possessing a gaseous halo extending to about 2.8 kpc above the galactic plane. As the model input we use a time-dependent velocity field of molecular gas resulting from self-consistent 3D N-body simulations of a galactic disk. We assume that the gaseous halo rotates differentially co-rotating with the disk or decreasing its velocity in the Zdirection. The dynamo process included in the model yields the amplification of the magnetic field as well as the formation of field structures high above the galactic disk. The simulated magnetic fields are used to construct the models of a high-frequency (Faraday rotation-free) polarized radio emission that accounts for effects of projection and limited resolution, and is thus suitable for direct comparison with observations. We found that the resultant magnetic field correctly reproduces the observed structures of polarization B-vectors, forming coherent patterns well aligned with spiral arms and with the bar. The process initializing a wave-like behavior of the magnetic field, which efficiently forms magnetic maxima between the spiral arms, is demonstrated. The inclusion of the galactic halo constitutes a step towards a realistic model of galactic magnetic fields that includes as many dynamical components as needed for a realistic description.

By observing the interacting galaxy NGC 3627 in radio polarization we try to answer the question; to which degree does the magnetic field follow the galactic gas flow. We obtained total power and polarized intensity maps at 8.46 GHz and 4.85 GHz using the VLA in its compact D-configuration. In order to overcome the zero-spacing problems, the interferometric data were combined with single-dish measurements obtained with the Effelsberg 100-m radio telescope. The observed magnetic field structure in NGC 3627 suggests that two field components are superposed. One component smoothly fills the interarm space and shows up also in the outermost disk regions, the other component follows a symmetric S-shaped structure. In the western disk the latter component is well aligned with an optical dust lane, following a bend which is possibly caused by external interactions. However, in the SE disk the magnetic field crosses a heavy dust lane segment, apparently being insensitive to strong density-wave effects. We suggest that the magnetic field is decoupled from the gas by high turbulent diffusion, in agreement with the large Hiline width in this region. We discuss in detail the possible influence of compression effects and non-axisymmetric gas flows on the general magnetic field asymmetries in NGC 3627. On the basis of the Faraday rotation distribution we also suggest the existence of a large ionized halo around this galaxy.

The hypothesis that large-scale shocks accompanying spiral density waves are the main sources of cosmic-ray electrons for whole galactic disks has been tested utilizing results of 10.7 GHz observations of spiral galaxies. It is suggested that the 10.7 GHz emission of galactic disks is largely controlled by star-forming processes, and that large-scale shocks apparently play a minor role.

In the present project we investigate the evolution of a three-dimensional (3D), large-scale galactic magnetic field under the influence of gas flows in spiral arms and in the presence of dynamo action. Our principal goal is to check how the dynamical evolution of gaseous spiral arms affects the global magnetic field structure and to what extent our models could explain the observed spiral patterns of polarization B-vectors in nearby galaxies. A two-step scheme is used: the N-body simulations of a two-component, self-gravitating disk provide the time-dependent velocity fields which are then used as the input to solve the mean-field dynamo equations.

We present the first map of the Perseus Cluster obtained within the Toru Polarimetric Survey ToPoS. The maps indicate that there is a large scale polarized radiation located at the periphery of classic radius of this cluster. It seems that an investigation of the magnetic structures we should take into account the contribution from circularly polarized radiation. Few pictures presented here seems to support such a point of view © 2009 WILEYVCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

We present first results of a radio continuum and polarization survey of the Milky Way at 4.7 GHz carried out with the 32-m radio telescope in Toruń. The survey is much less affected by depolarization effects than previous measurements at lower frequencies. This enables the study of magnetic field structure and its interrelations with particular features in the interstellar medium to much larger distances from the Sun. Our preliminary total power map shows a good association of radio features with galactic star-forming regions while the polarization data reveal an increasing coherence of magnetic fields away from the Galaxy's mid-plane. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Context.The origin of large-scale magnetic fields in spiral galaxies is still a theoretical riddle and better observational constraints are required to make further progress.

Context.The detailed comparison between observations and simulations of ram-pressure stripped spiral galaxies in the Virgo cluster has led to a 3D view of the galaxy orbits within the hot intracluster medium. The 3D velocities and Mach numbers derived from simulations can be used to derive simple Mach cone geometries for Virgo spiral galaxies.

Aims.We study numerically the large-scale gas and magnetic field evolution of barred galaxies in the gravitational potential of a disk, bulge, halo, and bar. We solve non-linear MHD equations including the back-reaction of the magnetic field to the gas. We do not take into account any dynamo process.

The influence of the environment on the polarized and total power radio continuum emission of cluster spiral galaxies is investigated. We present deep scaled array VLA 20 and 6 cm observations including polarization of 8 Virgo spiral galaxies. These data are combined with existing optical, Hi, and Hαdata. Ram pressure compression leads to sharp edges of the total power distribution at one side of the galactic disk. These edges coincide with Hiedges. In edge-on galaxies the extraplanar radio emission can extend further than the Hiemission. In the same galaxies asymmetric gradients in the degree of polarization give additional information on the ram pressure wind direction. The local total power emission is not sensitive to the effects of ram pressure. The radio continuum spectrum might flatten in the compressed region only for very strong ram pressure. This implies that neither the local star formation rate nor the turbulent small-scale magnetic field are significantly affected by ram pressure. Ram pressure compression occurs mainly on large scales ($\ga$1 kpc) and is primarily detectable in polarized radio continuum emission.

The influence of the environment on the polarized and total power radio continuum emission of cluster spiral galaxies is investigated. We present deep scaled array VLA 20 and 6 cm observations including polarization of 8 Virgo spiral galaxies. These data are combined with existing optical, Hi, and Hαdata. Ram pressure compression leads to sharp edges of the total power distribution at one side of the galactic disk. These edges coincide with Hiedges. In edge-on galaxies the extraplanar radio emission can extend further than the Hiemission. In the same galaxies asymmetric gradients in the degree of polarization give additional information on the ram pressure wind direction. The local total power emission is not sensitive to the effects of ram pressure. The radio continuum spectrum might flatten in the compressed region only for very strong ram pressure. This implies that neither the local star formation rate nor the turbulent small-scale magnetic field are significantly affected by ram pressure. Ram pressure compression occurs mainly on large scales ($\ga$1 kpc) and is primarily detectable in polarized radio continuum emission.