Magnetic Fields in the Milky Way and in Galaxies (revised version of September 2023)

Abstract

Most of the visible matter in the Universe is ionized, so that cosmic magnetic fields are quite easy to generate and due to the lack of magnetic monopoles hard to destroy. Magnetic fields have been measured in or around practically all celestial objects, either by in-situ measurements of spacecrafts or by the electromagnetic radiation of embedded cosmic rays, gas, or dust. The Earth, the Sun, solar planets, stars, pulsars, the Milky Way, nearby galaxies, distant radio galaxies, quasars, and even intergalactic space in clusters of galaxies have significant magnetic fields. Even larger volumes of the Universe may be permeated by so-far invisble magnetic fields. Information on cosmic magnetic fields has increased enormously as the result of the rapid development of observational methods, especially in radio astronomy. In the Milky Way, a wealth of magnetic phenomena was discovered that are only partly related to objects visible in other spectral ranges. The large-scale structure of the Milky Way's magnetic field is still under debate. The available data for external spiral galaxies can well be explained by field amplification and ordering via the dynamo mechanism. The measured field strengths and the similarity of field patterns and flow patterns of the diffuse ionized gas give strong indication that galactic magnetic fields are dynamically important. They may affect the formation of spiral arms, outflows, and the general evolution of galaxies. In spite of our increasing knowledge on magnetic fields, many important questions on the origin and evolution of magnetic fields, like their first occurrence in young galaxies or the existence of large-scale intergalactic fields, remain unanswered. Progress can be expected from new-generation radio telescopes like LOFAR and the SKA, for which "cosmic magnetism" is a key science project.