Interstellar Silicate Dust: Modeling and Grain Alignment

Abstract

We examine some aspects of the alignment of silicate dust grains with respect to the interstellar magnetic field. First, we consider possible observational constraints on the magnetic properties of the grains. Second, we investigate the role of collisions with gas atoms and the production of H2 molecules on the grain surface in the alignment process when the grain is drifting in the gaseous medium.