Effects of superbubbles on Near-IR and sub-millimeter polarization

Abstract

Associations of young, massive stars can collectively energize the interstellar medium through stellar winds and SNII. The energy injected into the ISM can produce large regions of hot, diffuse gas surrounded by a swept-up dense shell of gas, dust and magnetic fields. Such structures are often termed 'superbubbles' and the change they produce in local galactic magnetic field geometry could be detectable in polarization observations. We create semi-analytical models and large 3D MHD numerical simulations of superbubbles in plane-parallel galactic atmospheres in order to produce synthetic polarization maps in 100 micron polarized dust emission and 2.2 micron starlight polarized by transmission through dust. Polarization maps that included galactic contributions to the polarization were also created. We find that luminous superbubbles that 'breakthrough' the galactic plane could produce polarization signature that is observable for favorable lines of sight.