# Microwave emission by dust: mechanisms, properties and prospects for ISM studies

## 1 Introduction

Experiments to map cosmic microwave background radiation have stimulated recent studies of diffuse Galactic emission. Kogut et al. (1996), Oliveira-Costa et al. (1997) and Leitch et al. (1997) have reported a new component of galactic microwave emission which is correlated with the thermal emission from dust.

This emission cannot originate from plasma with $`T<10^4`$ K, as this would result in 60 times the observed amount of H<sub>α</sub> (Leitch et al. 1997). If, in order to escape the H<sub>α</sub> constrain, one assumes that the plasma temperature is greater than $`10^6`$ K, one faces impossible energy requirements. Indeed, the required energy injection rate is at least 2 orders of magnitude greater than is expected from supernova explosions (Draine & Lazarian 1998a).

As this radiation is correlated with the dust 100 $`\mu `$m thermal emission, it is natural to assume it to be related to dust. The study by Draine & Lazarian (1998a,b; 1999) have revealed two new mechanisms of dust microwave emission: one based on electric dipole emission from small rotating grains, the other on the magneto-dipole emission.

In what follows we discuss rotational emission from small grains (section 2), magneto-dipole emission from large grains (section 3), analyse the observational ways to discriminate between the two mechanisms (section 4), discuss how microwave studies constrain grain properties (section 5) and outline perspectives of the microwave studies of dust (section 6). The discussion is intentionally made qualitative. The corresponding quantitative results are published in Draine & Lazarian (1998 a,b; 1999).

## 2 Small rotating grains

A grain with a dipole moment $`\mu `$ rotating at an angular velocity $`\omega `$ radiates power:

$$P=\frac{2}{3}\frac{\omega ^4\mu ^2\mathrm{sin}^2\theta }{c^3}$$
(1)   
where $`\theta `$ is the angle between the angular velocity and dipole moment vectors. One source of the grain dipole moment is grain electric charging as, in general, the centroids of charge and mass are displaced. However, it is shown in Draine & Lazarian (1998b) that intrinsic dipole moment arising from the polarization of chemical bonds is more important. For the purpose of modeling, it seems possible to assume that grain material has short-range order and consists of randomly-arranged chemical substractures. In this case $`\mu N^{1/2}\beta `$, where $`N`$ is the number of substractures and the magnitude $`\beta 0.4`$ can be used as a representative value.

The rotational velocity $`\omega `$ is determined by grain interactions with ions, neutrals, and with electromagnetic radiation. Calculations in Draine & Lazarian (1998b) have shown that interactions with ions are more important for grain dynamics than grain interactions with neutrals even when ion density is much less than that of neutrals. This is the consequence of the fact that ions can be attracted to the grain surface and this focusing dramatically enhances both the grain effective cross section and the value of angular momentum that is being transfered per collision. Moreover, grains also interact with passing ions via grain electric dipole moment. Such “distant” collisions provide efficient coupling of grains to plasma. The grain interaction with radiation serves mostly as a source of grain damping, although emission of infrared photons can also excite grain rotation. The dipole rotational emission at microwave frequencies results in non-linear damping of grain rotation.

The observed microwave emissivity is proportional to the number of emitting grains along the line of sight. MRN distribution (Mathis, Rumpl & Nordsieck 1977), extended down to very small sizes, might provide an estimate for the number of very small grains. In fact, it is known (Leger & Puget 1984, Draine & Anderson 1985) that the MRN underestimates the number density of very small grains. In Draine & Lazarian (1998b) model assumes that 5% of interstellar carbon is locked in grains with $`a<10^7`$ cm, which is rather conservative estimate (compare Boulanger & Perault 1988).

It is shown in Draine & Lazarian (1998a) that small grains can reproduce well the “anomalous” foreground emissivity discovered by observations. The advantage of this explanation is that it appeals to small grains known to be present in the ISM and that it uses conservative assumptions about their properties.

## 3 Magnetic Grains

An alternative explanation for the observed microwave emission is based on magneto-dipole emissivity (Draine & Lazarian 1999). The corresponding grains should be large, as the intensity of the emission is proportional to the mass of grain material and most of dust mass is in the form of large grains. They also should be strongly magnetic, as only strongly magnetic grain are efficient microwave emitters.

First of all, it is necessary to clarify why magneto-dipole emission, marginal at optical and infrared frequencies ($`\nu >10^{12}`$ Hz), is important at the microwave bandwidth. Most materials have negligible magnetic response to oscillating magnetic fields at frequencies $`>10^{11}`$ Hz, but when the frequency of the field approaches the precession frequency of an electron spin in the magnetic field of its neighbors, the magnetic response becomes appreciable. In fact, Draine & Lazarian (1999) have shown that in the range of $`1030`$ GHz the emission arising from thermal fluctuations of magnetization for ordinary paramagnetic dust grains is higher than the emission arising from electric “vibrational” transitions within the dust.

Another way to see that low frequency magnetic response should dominate at the microwave range is to analyse Kramers-Kroning relations (see Draine & Lazarian 1999). Indeed, if the zero-frequency magnetic and electric susceptibilities of a material are comparable while its high frequency magnetic response is negligible, Kramers-Kroning relations suggest that the magneto-dipole adsorption should dominate at low frequencies.

Observations of the interstellar depletions indicate that $`10\%`$ of atoms in grains are Fe and therefore it would not be surprising if some fraction of interstellar grain population is strongly magnetic (see Jones & Spitzer 1967). However, candidate materials e.g. metallic iron/nickel, magnetite (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>), and maghemite ($`\gamma `$Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) do not provide a reasonable fit to the data. A hypothetical material giving a good fit should have magnetic response weaker than metallic iron, but stronger than ferrimagnetic magnetite. It could be, for example, Fe/Ni alloy with an appreciable concentration of O, H, Si and other impurities. At the moment we cannot exclude that such material indeed makes appreciable contribution to the observed microwave emission. The relative role of the magneto-dipole emissivity and emissivity from small rotating grains should be determined on the basis of future observations.

## 4 Dense Clouds as a Test Case

Measurements of polarization can provide one way to distinguish microwave emission from rotating small grains and magneto-dipole emission from hypothetical strongly magnetic grains. However, measurements of intensity from dense clouds may enable an easier way to discriminate between the two emission mechanisms.

It is well known that the fraction of small grains is reduced in dense clouds. Therefore the microwave emissivity per hydrogen atom from rotating small grains is expected to be reduced as compared to the diffuse media. Magneto-dipole emissivity depends neither on grain size nor on the abundance of small grains. As the result,higher if magneto-dipole transitions are responsible for the “anomalous” microwave emissivity the expected 20-90 GHz intensity from dark clouds is higher compared to the spinning dust case.

Adopting the Lazarian, Goodman & Myers (1997) model of L1755 dark cloud, Draine & Lazarian (1998b) obtained expected antenna temperatures of $`1`$ mK at 10-30 GHz if the emission is due to spinning grains. This is the level of sensitivity that is required to exclude magneto-dipole origin of “anomalous” microwave emission.

## 5 Constraining Grain Properties

Microwave emission can provide a valuable tool for dust studies. First of all, microwave emissivity can trace the variation of small grain abundance as cloud density increases. It also can constrain magnetic properties of dust materials. The latter is important for solving the mystery of grain alignment. Indeed, if grains are strongly magnetic, Davis-Greenstein relaxation (1951) should be sufficient to insure alignment. Even with the limited present day data it is possible to say that no more than 5% of interstellar Fe is in the form of metallic grains or inclusions (e.g. in “GEMS”) (Draine & Lazarian 1999). To constrain magnetic properties of interstellar dust materials further, both laboratory studies of candidate materials and sensitive observations in $`10100`$ GHz frequency range are required.

## 6 Studies of Microwave Background

Studies of CMB are hot area of research at present. The microwave foreground arising from dust is a nuisance for cosmology oriented people who try to study the evolution of the early Universe. Their extensive studies, both ground and space based, should provide a wealth of valuable microwave data. To filter out dust microwave contribution cosmologists will have to understand its properties better and the corresponding research can be a gold mine for the ISM studies. In my other paper in this volume (Lazarian 1999) I discuss the origin of microwave polarization and how it can help the studies of ISM magnetic fields.

## 7 Summary

1. Grains smaller than $`10^7`$ cm rotate at frequencies higher than 10 GHz. Small grains are likely to have non-zero electric dipole moment. As a result, these grains emit at microwave frequencies. This emission provides the most likely explanation for the detected recently “anomalous” galactic foreground.

2. For typical paramagnetic interstellar grains, characteristic frequency of magneto-dipole transitions lies in the microwave range. Therefore magneto-dipole emissivity from these grains dominates their vibrational electric dipole emissivity at $`1030`$ GHz. If grains are strongly magnetic, they may provide an alternative explanation for the “anomalous” galactic foreground.

3. Magneto-dipole emissivity is proportional to dust mass. Emissivity from rotating grains lies in the microwave range only for ultra small grains . Therefore this emissivity per hydrogen atom should be lower in dark clouds, where the abundance of small grains is reduced. This provides a way to measure the relative importance of the two candidate mechanisms of microwave emission.

4. Intensive ongoing research of microwave background can provide valuable information both on dust properties and on the ISM magnetic field structure.

###### Acknowledgements.

The present qualitative discussion is based on the quantitative work done with Bruce Draine. I acknowledge discussions with Dick Crutcher, Chris McKee and Phil Myers. The research was supported by NASA grants NAG5-2858, NAG5-7030, and CITA Senior Fellowship.