GMIMS-DRAGONS: A Faraday Depth Survey of the Northern Sky Covering 350–1030 MHz
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Polarized synchrotron emission at meter to centimeter wavelengths provides an effective tracer of the Galactic magnetic field. Calculating Faraday depth, the most useful parameter for mapping the line-of-sight magnetic field, requires observations covering wide frequency bands with many channels. As part of the Global Magneto-Ionic Medium Survey (GMIMS), we have observed polarized emission spanning 350–1030 MHz over the northern sky, in the declination range −20° ≤ δ ≤ 90°. We used the 15 m telescope at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO), equipped to receive orthogonal circular polarizations, with the Onsala Space Observatory band 1 feed developed for the SKA Project. Angular resolution varies across the band from 1 . ° 3 to 3 . ° 6. A digital spectrometer provided 42 kHz frequency resolution. Data were taken with the telescope moving rapidly in azimuth and are absolutely calibrated in intensity. Approximately 25% of the data were lost due to radio-frequency interference. The resolution in Faraday depth is ∼6 rad m −2 , and features as wide as ∼38 rad m −2 are represented. The median sensitivity of the Faraday depth cube is 11 mK. Approximately 55% of sight lines in this survey show Faraday complexity. This dataset, called “DRAO GMIMS of the Northern Sky,” is the first to probe Faraday depth of the northern sky in its frequency range and will support many scientific investigations. The data will be used to calibrate surveys with higher angular resolution, particularly Galactic foreground maps from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, and to provide information on large structures for aperture-synthesis telescopes, particularly the DRAO Synthesis Telescope. The data are available through the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre.
Authors: Anna Ordog, Rebecca A. Booth, T. L. Landecker, Ettore Carretti, Alex S. Hill, Jo-Anne C. Brown, Artem Davydov, Leonardo Moutinho Caffarello, Luca B. Galler, Jonas Flygare, Jennifer L. West, A. G. Willis, Mehrnoosh Tahani, G. J. Hovey, Dustin Lagoy, Stephen Harrison, Michael A. Smith, Charl Baard, Rob H. Messing, D. A. Del Rizzo, Benoit Robert, Timothy Robishaw, John M. Dickey, George Morgan, Ian R. Kennedy, Marijke Haverkorn, Andrea Bracco, John Conway
Institutions: Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Western University, National Research Council Canada, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, University of Calgary, Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna, National Institute for Astrophysics, University of Waterloo, California Institute of Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, University of South Carolina, University of Tasmania, Radboud University Nijmegen, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, École Normale Supérieure - PSL, Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire de Physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,499
OpenAlex ID: W4417161964