Nature 196, 761 (24 November 1962); doi:10.1038/196761a0

Faraday Rotation Effects associated with the Radio Source Centaurus A

B. F. C. COOPER & R. M. PRICE

Division of Radiophysics, C.S.I.R.O., Sydney.

DR. SCIAMA has proposed an interesting explanation of the Faraday rotation which is observed to be associated with the radiation from Centaurus A. The agreement between the observed rotation and that which would be produced by magnetic fields, electron densities and path lengths appropriate to his model of the local cluster of galaxies¹is indeed very good. Experimental evidence for or against this model may soon be obtained from observations of other polarized sources at various galactic latitudes and longitudes, and we are able to report that Drs. Gardner and Whiteoak of this laboratory have now detected Faraday rotation in some 16 additional sources. Their results, which are soon to be published, indicate that there is a substantial galactic contribution to the rotation; in general, sources at high galactic latitudes show less rotation than those close to the plane.

1. Sciama, D. W. , Mon. Not. Roy. Astro. Soc., 123, 317 (1962). | ISI |
2. Hoyle, F. (private communication to Dr. E. G. Bowen).