The Magnetic Superhighways That Drive Galaxy Evolution

Researchers used ALMA to image the magnetic fields of the galactic disk and dusty and molecular outflow of the merging galaxy Arp220. They found that a magnetic superhighway funnels material between galaxy cores, and that powerful winds move material along the fields into the circumgalactic medium. Image Credit: Lopez-Rodriguez, E. (USC; polarization data), Girart, J.M. (ICE-CSIC and IEEC; polarization data); (Barcos-Muñoz, L. (NRAO; 3GHz data)

Arp 220 is a well-known pair of galaxies that are merging. New ALMA observations of polarized light reveal the complex and powerful magnetic fields that shape the process.

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