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Session 40 - The Interstellar Medium.
Display session, Tuesday, June 09
Atlas Ballroom,
Clouds at high Galactic latitude provide an opportunity to study interstellar matter and processes in translucent quiescent environments. On-going efforts to constrain the optical properties and alignment efficiency of high-latitude dust will provide insight into the distribution and evolution of local interstellar matter, as well as insight into the conditions that lead to star formation. In this study, we present observations of broadband optical and infrared extinction and polarization of 106 high-latitude stars. Parameters characterizing the extinction and polarization curves in the foreground material are compared to values seen in the diffuse ISM closer to the Galactic plane. Relationships among these characteristic parameters are tested for dependence on environment, or for universality over a range of environmental conditions.
