Observational Constraints on the Physical Properties of Interstellar Dust in the Post-Planck Era

Abstract

We present a synthesis of the astronomical observations constraining the wavelength-dependent extinction, emission, and polarization from interstellar dust from UV to microwave wavelengths on diffuse Galactic sight lines. Representative solid-phase abundances for those sight lines are also derived. Given the sensitive new observations of polarized dust emission provided by the Planck satellite, we place particular emphasis on dust polarimetry, including continuum polarized extinction, polarization in the carbonaceous and silicate spectroscopic features, the wavelength-dependent polarization fraction of the dust emission, and the connection between optical polarized extinction and far-infrared polarized emission. Together, these constitute a set of constraints that should be reproduced by models of dust in the diffuse interstellar medium.