Extragalactic

[CII] is the main coolant over a wide density range in the interstellar medium. As a result it is expected that the total [CII] emission is correlated to the local star formation activity which was confirmed for a relatively large sample of galaxies. However, starburst galaxies show a lower [CII] emission than expected. It is thus important to understand the relation of [CII] emission with the SFR, cooling, extinction and molecular gas.

To obtain one of the datasets listed below, go to the SOFIA Archive, open the "Proposal Constraints” tab, and enter the corresponding Plan ID (PID).

Understanding the processes of star formation is one of the major goals of extragalactic astronomy. One important piece of this goal is determining how the energy inputted into the interstellar medium (ISM) by young stars is regulated and eventually dissipated through emission of far-infrared cooling lines. Measurements of cooling lines can also provide insight on the potential feedback processes that could be enhancing or limiting star formation.

The entire galaxy M51 was imaged using both FIFI-LS and GREAT. The FIFI-LS observations took only 7 hr of observatory (wall-clock) time. The image is shown with a surface brightness scale in units of erg/s/cm2/sr. Read more here.

The data are available publicly available in the archive under project ID 04_0116 for further research.

What is the role of magnetic fields in sculpting the ISM at kiloparsec scales? This question is the driver behind the Legacy Program 'SOFIA heralds a new era of measuring the magnetic fields of galaxies', led by Enrique Lopez Rodriguez (KIPAC/Stanford) and Ann Sui Mao (MPIfR). This survey consists of 50-220 microns polarimetric observations of a flux-limited sample of 17 nearby galaxies including starbursts, mergers, active galaxies, and spiral galaxies.

30 Doradus (the Tarantula nebula) is a very wide HII region which hosts strong starburst activity. At its center lies a large cluster of massive stars, which powers extended PDR regions. Thanks to its location in the LMC, it is one of the best laboratories to study how local conditions -- thermal, kinematic, density and magnetic fields -- support starburst activity.

Polarization maps of the star-forming region 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud using HAWC+. The maps were taken at 53, 89, 154, and 214 μm, revealing dust emission between 10-100 K and allowing for an inferred morphology study of the magnetic field. Read more here.

Imaging and grism spectroscopic data to probe the ejecta and surroundings of the bright Type Ia Supernova, SN 2014J, in M82. The observations were taken using FORCAST and the now retired instruments FLITECAM and HIPO. Read more here.