Distribution of galactic synchrotron emission. I
S. Phillipps, S. Kearsey, J. L. Osborne, C. G. T. Haslam, H. Stoffel;
AaA, 1981, 98, 286

ABSTRACT:The distribution of synchrotron emissivity in the galactic plane is derived from the all-sky radio continuum map at 408 MHz of Haslam et al. (1981). An unfolding technique is used in which the plane is divided into logarithmic spiral sections of equal radial variation in emissivity, allowing the radial and azimuthal distributions to be determined separately. A best fit to the data is obtained for a spiral pitch angle of 12 deg, while equally good fits were obtained for power-law and exponential variations in emissivity. Data is consistent with a magnetic field configuration with equal regular and irregular components, and a spiral pattern extending to within 20 deg of the galactic center. The sun is found to lie between major spiral arms near a local emissivity minimum consistent with estimates of the local magnetic field.
KEYWORDS: galactic radio waves, galactic structure, milky way galaxy, radiation distribution, synchrotron radiation, azimuth, emissivity, interstellar magnetic fields, iterative solution
PERSOKEY:radio continuum, h+, synchrotron, milky way, ,
CODE: phillipps81