Thesis Defense: Polarized Dust Emission and the Morphology of the Interstellar Medium

Speaker: George Halal (KIPAC) In Person and zoom

Ph.D. Candidate: George Halal

Research Advisor: Susan Clark

Zoom: https://stanford.zoom.us/j/91800998233
Zoom Password: Email physicsstudentservices@stanford.edu

The interstellar medium (ISM) is a complex, multiphase system where various components, such as gas, dust, cosmic rays, and magnetic fields, are intricately interconnected. The same astrophysical phenomena that influence one component of the ISM often have far-reaching effects on others, creating a rich tapestry of interactions. This interconnectedness means that observations of one ISM component can provide valuable insights into the properties and behavior of others, offering multiple avenues to probe and understand the ISM's structure and evolution. In this talk, I explore this concept by focusing on the relationship between the 3D morphology of the ISM and polarized dust emission, which holds important implications for cosmic microwave background studies and our understanding of astrophysical processes. I will focus on novel insights into the characterization and modeling of polarized dust emission that we gain by leveraging ancillary datasets that trace the 3D structure of the ISM.