Physics and Astronomy Calendar

The role of interstellar magnetic fields in the process of stellar birth is at present very unclear. Observationally, one of the key goals is to determine the strength of the large-scale magnetic fields of giant molecular clouds. This is being addressed via Zeeman measurements of molecular lines as well as submillimeter polarimetric observations that probe magnetically aligned dust grains. For the latter technique, the main idea is to use the degree of order/disorder in the field as an indicator of the field strength, as was done for the diffuse Galactic field by Chandrasekhar and Fermi in 1953. I will review the current status of research on GMC fields and prospects for major advances with upcoming stratospheric observations.