The interstellar magnetic field near the galactic center

Abstract

We review the observational knowledge that has built up over the past 25 years on the interstellar magnetic field within 150 pc of the Galactic center. We also provide a critical discussion of the main observational findings and comment on their possible theoretical interpretations. To conclude, we propose a coherent view of the interstellar magnetic field near the Galactic center, which accounts at best for the vast body of observations. © International Astronomical Union 2011.