Poster Talk abstract details

Magnetic Fields in Irregular Galaxies
Amanda Kepley, Eric Wilcots, Ellen Zweibel, Stefanie Muehle, John Everett, Tim Robishaw, and Carl Heiles

Abstract

The chaotic interstellar medium (ISM) of irregular galaxies is very different from ISM of normal spirals. Irregulars rotate as solid bodies and are prone to disruption because of their low masses. The magnetic field may play an important role in the ISM of irregulars. Only five irregulars have detailed observations of their magnetic fields. Our goal is to increase the number of irregulars with observed magnetic fields in order to answer the following: 1) what generates and sustains large-scale magnetic fields in irregulars and 2) what causes the range of magnetic field structure seen in irregulars. We present observations of two irregulars: NGC 1569 and NGC 4214. The magnetic field of NGC 1569 is shaped by its outflow, while the magnetic field of NGC 4214 is almost completely random. We place our observations in the context with previous observations.