The first extraterrestrial radio source, detected by Karl Jansky, was the
synchrotron radiation of cosmic ray (CR) electrons, associated with star
formation, in the Milky Way's magnetic field. Our observational
capabilities for studying these CRs in our own and other galaxies have
grown vastly since then, both in radio and now gamma-rays. I will present
my work on the theory of these CRs and the radiation they emit. I will
describe a "conspiracy" that may set the radio luminosity of starbursts
and its implications for the empirical "far-infrared--radio correlation"
of star-forming galaxies. I will also discuss the implications of the
recent gamma-ray detections of starburst galaxies on how CR protons are
transported in them, how CR electrons cool in starbursts, and the magnetic
fields in these galaxies.
February 17, 2012
11:00 am
Array Operations Center Auditorium
All NRAO employees are invited to attend via video, available in Charlottesville Room 230, Green Bank Room 137 and Tucson N525.
Local Host: Walter Brisken