The Spiral Structure of the Outer Milky Way in Hydrogen

We produce a detailed map of the perturbed surface density of neutral hydrogen in the outer Milky Way disk demonstrating that the Galaxy is a non-axisymmetric multi-armed spiral. Spiral structure in the southern half of the Galaxy can be traced out to at least 25 kpc, implying a minimum radius for the gas disk. Overdensities in the surface density are coincident with regions of reduced gas thickness. The ratio of the surface density to the local median surface density is relatively constant along an arm. Logarithmic spirals can be fit to the arms with pitch angles of 20-25 degrees.Comment: 10 pages with 4 color figures. Accepted for publication in Science. Embargoed for discussion in the popular press until publication in ScienceXpress. Higher resolution versions of figures 3 and 4 are available at http://astron.berkeley.edu/~elevin

Velocity Spectrum for HI at High Latitudes

In this paper we present the results of the statistical analysis of high-latitude HI turbulence in the Milky Way. We have observed HI in the 21 cm line, obtained with the Arecibo L-Band Feed Array (ALFA) receiver at the Arecibo radio telescope. For recovering of velocity statistics we have used the Velocity Coordinate Spectrum (VCS) technique. In our analysis we have used direct fitting of the VCS model, as its asymptotic regimes are questionable for Arecibo's resolution and given the restrictions from thermal smoothing of the turbulent line. We have obtained a velocity spectral index $3.87 \pm 0.11$, an injection scale of $140 \pm 80$ pc, and an HI cold phase temperature of $52 \pm 11$ K. The spectral index is steeper than the Kolmogorov index and can be interpreted as being due to shock-dominated turbulence.Comment: Accepted to Ap

Extragalactic Zeeman Detections in OH Megamasers

We have measured the Zeeman splitting of OH megamaser emission at 1667 MHz from five (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies ([U]LIRGs) using the 305 m Arecibo telescope and the 100 m Green Bank Telescope. Five of eight targeted galaxies show significant Zeeman-splitting detections, with 14 individual masing components detected and line-of-sight magnetic field strengths ranging from ~0.5-18 mG. The detected field strengths are similar to those measured in Galactic OH masers, suggesting that the local process of massive star formation occurs under similar conditions in (U)LIRGs and the Galaxy, in spite of the vastly different large-scale environments. Our measured field strengths are also similar to magnetic field strengths in (U)LIRGs inferred from synchrotron observations, implying that milligauss magnetic fields likely pervade most phases of the interstellar medium in (U)LIRGs. These results provide a promising new tool for probing the astrophysics of distant galaxies.Comment: 32 pages, 14 figures, 8 tables. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal v680n2, June 20, 2008; corrected 2 typo