LOFAR, the Low Frequency Array, is a new-generation radio telescope under construction in the Netherlands, Germany and other European countries. It is currently becoming operational incrementally. Its unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution will open a new window to the low-frequency sky that has been largely neglected in the past, owing to the quest for investigations at higher and higher radio frequencies. With one LOFAR station already operational and four more funded stations, Germany took the lead in the European expansion of LOFAR and in the development of long-baseline observations. "Cosmic Magnetism" is one of six Key Science Projects of LOFAR and is led by German scientists. Synchrotron polarisation is one of the main tools of this key project. Low-frequency polarisation observations are challenging and require careful tools for observation, calibration and data analysis. The expected data from the commissioning phase (beginning of 2010) and from the full LOFAR array (2010/11) will allow to investigate the distribution and origin of weak, extended magnetic fields in the Milky Way, nearby galaxies and galaxy clusters, and possibly detect magnetic fields from intergalactic filaments for the first time. The Research Unit is to establish a network of experienced German scientists to prepare LOFAR for polarisation observations and for studies of cosmic magnetism.
DFG Programme
Research Units
Projects
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Central tasks of the Research Unit and general information applicable for all principal investigators
(Applicant
Klein, Ulrich
)
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Commissioning LOFAR for polarisation observations
(Applicants
Beck, Rainer
;
Klein, Ulrich
)
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Dynamos with wind
(Applicants
Elstner, Detlef
;
Lesch, Harald
)
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Faraday Synthesis and Magnetic Field Statistics
(Applicant
Enßlin, Torsten
)
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LOFAR observations of SZ-selected galaxy clusters, and high-fidelity imaging
(Applicants
Brüggen, Ph.D., Marcus
;
Klein, Ulrich
)
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LOFAR total-intensity surveys of nearby galaxies
(Applicant
Dettmar, Ralf-Jürgen
)
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Magnetic fields in nearby galaxies: Low-frequency radio observations
(Applicants
Beck, Rainer
;
Dettmar, Ralf-Jürgen
)
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Magnetic fields in the Milky Way
(Applicant
Kramer, Michael
)
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Magnetic fields in the outskirts of galaxy clusters: Insights from radio relics
(Applicants
Brüggen, Ph.D., Marcus
;
Hoeft, Matthias
)
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Magnetization of the IGM: Role of starburst dwarf galaxies
(Applicant
Klein, Ulrich
)
