Magnetic substructure in the northern Fermi bubble revealed by polarized microwave emission

Abstract

We report a correspondence between giant, polarized microwave structures emerging north from the Galactic plane near the Galactic center and a number of GeV gamma-ray features, including the eastern edge of the recently discovered northern Fermi Bubble. The polarized microwave features also correspond to structures seen in the all-sky 408MHz total intensity data, including the Galactic center Spur. The magnetic field structure revealed by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe polarization data at 23GHz suggests that neither the emission coincident with the Bubble edge nor the Galactic center Spur are likely to be features of the local interstellar medium. On the basis of the observed morphological correspondences, similar inferred spectra, and the similar energetics of all sources, we suggest a direct connection between the Galactic center Spur and the northern Fermi Bubble. © 2012 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.