Measuring Magnetic Fields Near and Far with the SKA via the Zeeman Effect

TL;DR

This paper discusses how the SKA telescope can measure magnetic fields in space using the Zeeman effect, offering a new way to study cosmic magnetism in various interstellar environments.

Contribution

It introduces the application of Zeeman splitting measurements with the SKA to directly estimate magnetic fields in different interstellar medium components.

Findings

Zeeman splitting can be used to measure magnetic fields in emission and absorption lines.

The method complements existing Faraday rotation studies by probing neutral gas.

Potential to study magnetic fields in both our galaxy and external galaxies.

Abstract

The measurement of Zeeman splitting in spectral lines---both in emission and absorption---can provide direct estimates of the magnetic field strength and direction in atomic and molecular clouds, both in our own Milky Way and in external galaxies. This method will probe the magnetic field in the warm and cold neutral components of the interstellar medium, providing a complement to the extensive SKA Faraday studies planning to probe the field in the ionized components.