13 research outputs found
Accretion discs, low-mass protostars and planets: probing the impact of magnetic fields on stellar formation
Whereas the understanding of most phases of stellar evolution made
considerable progress throughout the whole of the twentieth century, stellar
formation remained rather enigmatic and poorly constrained by observations
until about three decades ago, when major discoveries (e.g., that protostars
are often associated with highly collimated jets) revolutionized the field. At
this time, it became increasingly clearer that magnetic fields were playing a
major role at all stages of stellar formation.
We describe herein a quick overview of the main breakthroughs that
observations and theoretical modelling yielded for our understanding of how
stars (and their planetary systems) are formed and on how much these new worlds
are shaped by the presence of magnetic fields, either those pervading the
interstellar medium and threading molecular clouds or those produced through
dynamo processes in the convective envelopes of protostars or in the accretion
discs from which they feed.Comment: Proceedings of CNRS/PNPS astrophysical school on "stellar magnetic
fields", EAS Publications Serie