Decoding the Interstellar Magnetic Medium

The interstellar medium is the “stuff between the stars” in galaxies: the turbulent broth of gas and dust out of which new stars are born, and into which some old stars explode. Magnetic fields thread this interstellar environment, helping to sculpt galaxies through their influence on a diverse range of physics, from the propagation of high-energy charged particles to star formation. Despite its importance across scientific realms, the interstellar magnetic field and its influence on Galactic processes are not well understood. I will discuss recent new directions for deciphering the magnetic interstellar medium

Dr. Susan Clark is an assistant professor of physics at Stanford. She is an astrophysicist, with primary research interests in cosmic magnetic fields, magnetohydrodynamic processes, and the interstellar medium. Prior to joining the faculty at Stanford, she was a NASA Hubble Fellow and postdoctoral member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. She received her Ph.D. in 2017 from Columbia University.