THOR and THOR-GC: Probing the Galactic Magnetic Field of the Galactic Plane

The Galactic magnetic field (GMF) exists everywhere within our Galaxy and plays an important role in the dynamics of our Galaxy. However, as magnetic fields do not radiate, the GMF cannot be observed directly with telescopes. Instead, it must be observed through its effects on matter and radiation, such as Faraday rotation. While observations of Faraday rotation have provided valuable insights regarding the GMF, much of the structure and strength of the GMF remains unclear due to limitations of this method. The HI/OH/Recombination Line Survey of the Milky Way (THOR) and its extension covering the Galactic center (THOR-GC) are radio surveys of the disk of our Galaxy. Combined, they observed 73.5° of the Galactic plane, including the inner Galaxy. The inner Galaxy exhibits extreme Faraday rotation due to enhanced plasma density, however the distribution of this plasma remains poorly understood. My research leverages the full polarization data from the THOR and THOR-GC studies to observe these rotation measures in detail, offering new insights into the magnetic and structure properties of the Galactic plane.