Constraints on the magnetic field in the Galactic halo from globular cluster pulsars

Abstract

The Galactic magnetic field plays an important role in the evolution of the Galaxy, but its small-scale behaviour is still poorly known. It is not known whether the Galactic field permeates the halo of the Galaxy. By observing pulsars in the halo globular cluster 47 Tucanae, we have probed the Galactic magnetic field at arcsecond scales, discovering an unexpected large gradient in the component of the magnetic field parallel to the line of sight. This gradient is aligned with a direction perpendicular to the Galactic disk and could be explained by magnetic fields amplified to some 60 μG within the globular cluster. Such a scenario supports the existence of a magnetized outflow that extends from the Galactic disk to the halo and interacts with 47 Tucanae.