216 research outputs found
The Magnetic Field of L1544: I. Near-Infrared Polarimetry and the Non-Uniform Envelope
The magnetic field (B-field) of the starless dark cloud L1544 has been
studied using near-infrared (NIR) background starlight polarimetry (BSP) and
archival data in order to characterize the properties of the plane-of-sky
B-field. NIR linear polarization measurements of over 1,700 stars were obtained
in the H-band and 201 of these were also measured in the K-band. The NIR BSP
properties are correlated with reddening, as traced using the RJCE (H-M)
method, and with thermal dust emission from the L1544 cloud and envelope seen
in Herschel maps. The NIR polarization position angles change at the location
of the cloud and exhibit their lowest dispersion of position angles there,
offering strong evidence that NIR polarization traces the plane-of-sky B-field
of L1544. In this paper, the uniformity of the plane-of-sky B-field in the
envelope region of L1544 is quantitatively assessed. This allowed evaluating
the approach of assuming uniform field geometry when measuring relative
mass-to-flux ratios in the cloud envelope and core based on averaging of the
envelope radio Zeeman observations, as in Crutcher et al. (2009). In L1544, the
NIR BSP shows the envelope B-field to be significantly non-uniform and likely
not suitable for averaging Zeeman properties without treating intrinsic
variations. Deeper analyses of the NIR BSP and related data sets, including
estimates of the B-field strength and testing how it varies with position and
gas density, are the subjects of later papers in this series.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Extreme Starlight Polarization in a Region with Highly Polarized Dust Emission
Galactic dust emission is polarized at unexpectedly high levels, as revealed
by Planck. The origin of the observed polarization fractions can
be identified by characterizing the properties of optical starlight
polarization in a region with maximally polarized dust emission. We measure the
R-band linear polarization of 22 stars in a region with a submillimeter
polarization fraction of . A subset of 6 stars is also measured in
the B, V and I bands to investigate the wavelength dependence of polarization.
We find that starlight is polarized at correspondingly high levels. Through
multiband polarimetry we find that the high polarization fractions are unlikely
to arise from unusual dust properties, such as enhanced grain alignment.
Instead, a favorable magnetic field geometry is the most likely explanation,
and is supported by observational probes of the magnetic field morphology. The
observed starlight polarization exceeds the classical upper limit of
%mag and is at least
as high as 13%mag that was inferred from a joint analysis of Planck
data, starlight polarization and reddening measurements. Thus, we confirm that
the intrinsic polarizing ability of dust grains at optical wavelengths has long
been underestimated.Comment: Accepted by A&AL, data to appear on CDS after publication. 6 page
Protostar Formation in Magnetic Molecular Clouds beyond Ion Detachment: III. A Parameter Study
In two previous papers we formulated and solved, for a fiducial set of free
parameters, the problem of the formation and evolution of a magnetically
supercritical core inside a magnetically subcritical parent cloud. In this
paper we present a parameter study to assess the sensitivity of the results (1)
to the density at which the equation of state becomes adiabatic; (2) to the
initial mass-to-flux ratio of the parent cloud; and (3) to ionization by
radioactive decay of different nuclei (40K and 26Al) at high densities (number
density > 10^12 particles per cubic cm). We find that (1) the results depend
only slightly on the density at which the onset of adiabaticity occurs; (2)
memory of the initial mass-to-flux ratio is completely lost at late times,
which emphasizes the relevance of this work, idependently of the adopted theory
of core formation; and (3) the precise source of radioactive ionization alters
the degree of attachment of the electrons to the field lines (at high
densities), and the relative importance of ambipolar diffusion and Ohmic
dissipation in reducing the magnetic flux of the protostar. The value of the
magnetic field at the end of the runs is insensitive to the values of the free
parameters and in excellent agreement with meteoritic measurements of the
protosolar nebula magnetic field. The magnetic flux problem of star formation
is resolved for at least strongly magnetic newborn stars. A complete detachment
of the magnetic field from the matter is unlikely. The formation of a "magnetic
wall" (with an associated magnetic shock) is independent of the assumed
equation of state, although the process is enhanced and accelerated by the
formation of a central hydrostatic core.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, emulateapj; accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
Lagrangian characterization of sub-Alfv\'enic turbulence energetics
The energetics of strongly magnetized turbulence has so far resisted all
attempts to understand them. Numerical simulations of compressible turbulence
reveal that kinetic energy can be orders of magnitude larger than fluctuating
magnetic energy. We solve this lack-of-balance puzzle by calculating the
energetics of compressible and sub-Alfv\'enic turbulence based on the dynamics
of coherent cylindrical fluid parcels. Using a Lagrangian formulation, we prove
analytically that the bulk of the magnetic energy transferred to kinetic is the
energy stored in the coupling between the initial and fluctuating magnetic
field. The analytical relations are in striking agreement with numerical data,
up to second order terms.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, submitted, comments welcom
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