Observations of Magnetic Fields Surrounding LkH alpha 101 Taken by the BISTRO Survey with JCMT-POL-2
Journal article, 2021

We report the first high spatial resolution measurement of magnetic fields surrounding LkH alpha 101, part of the Auriga-California molecular cloud. The observations were taken with the POL-2 polarimeter on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope within the framework of the B-fields In Star-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey. Observed polarization of thermal dust emission at 850 mu m is found to be mostly associated with the redshifted gas component of the cloud. The magnetic field displays a relatively complex morphology. Two variants of the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, unsharp masking and structure function, are used to calculate the strength of magnetic fields in the plane of the sky, yielding a similar result of B-POS similar to 115 mu G. The mass-to-magnetic-flux ratio in critical value units, lambda similar to 0.3, is the smallest among the values obtained for other regions surveyed by POL-2. This implies that the LkH alpha 101 region is subcritical, and the magnetic field is strong enough to prevent gravitational collapse. The inferred delta B/B-0 similar to 0.3 implies that the large-scale component of the magnetic field dominates the turbulent one. The variation of the polarization fraction with total emission intensity can be fitted by a power law with an index of alpha = 0.82 0.03, which lies in the range previously reported for molecular clouds. We find that the polarization fraction decreases rapidly with proximity to the only early B star (LkH alpha 101) in the region. Magnetic field tangling and the joint effect of grain alignment and rotational disruption by radiative torques can potentially explain such a decreasing trend.

Interstellar magnetic fields

Molecular clouds

Star formation

Author

Nguyen Bich Ngoc

Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology

Pham Ngoc Diep

Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology

Harriet Parsons

East Asian Observatory

Kate Pattle

National University of Ireland Galway

Thiem Hoang

University of Science and Technology (UST)

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Derek Ward-Thompson

University of Central Lancashire

Le Ngoc Tram

Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology

Charles L. H. Hull

Atacama Large Millimeter-submillimeter Array (ALMA)

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Mehrnoosh Tahani

National Research Council Canada

Ray Furuya

Tokushima University

Pierre Bastien

National Research Council Canada

Université de Montréal

Keping Qiu

Nanjing University

Tetsuo Hasegawa

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Woojin Kwon

Seoul National University

Yasuo Doi

University of Tokyo

Shih-Ping Lai

Academia Sinica

National Tsing Hua University

Simon Coude

NASA Ames Research Center

David Berry

East Asian Observatory

Tao-Chung Ching

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Jihye Hwang

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

University of Science and Technology (UST)

Archana Soam

NASA Ames Research Center

Jia-Wei Wang

Academia Sinica

Doris Arzoumanian

University of Porto

Tyler L. Bourke

University of Manchester

SKA Organisation

Do-Young Byun

University of Science and Technology (UST)

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Huei-Ru Vivien Chen

Academia Sinica

National Tsing Hua University

Zhiwei Chen

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Wen Ping Chen

National Central University

Mike Chen

University of Victoria

Jungyeon Cho

Chungnam National University

Yunhee Choi

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Minho Choi

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Antonio Chrysostomou

University of Hertfordshire

Eun Jung Chung

Chungnam National University

Sophia Dai

Chinese Academy of Sciences

James Di Francesco

University of Victoria

National Research Council Canada

Yan Duan

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Hao-Yuan Duan

National Tsing Hua University

David Eden

Liverpool John Moores University

Chakali Eswaraiah

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Lapo Fanciullo

Academia Sinica

Jason Fiege

University of Manitoba

Laura M. Fissel

Queen's University

Erica Franzmann

University of Manitoba

Per Friberg

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Rachel Friesen

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Gary Fuller

University of Manchester

Tim Gledhill

University of Hertfordshire

Sarah Graves

East Asian Observatory

Jane Greaves

Cardiff University

Matt Griffin

Cardiff University

Qilao Gu

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Ilseung Han

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

University of Science and Technology (UST)

Jennifer Hatchell

University of Exeter

Saeko Hayashi

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Martin Houde

Western University

Tsuyoshi Inoue

Nagoya University

Shu-ichiro Inutsuka

Nagoya University

Kazunari Iwasaki

Doshisha University

Il-Gyo Jeong

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Doug Johnstone

University of Victoria

National Research Council Canada

Ji-hyun Kang

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Sung-ju Kang

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Miju Kang

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Akimasa Kataoka

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Koji Kawabata

Hiroshima University

Francisca Kemper

Academia Sinica

European Southern Observatory Santiago

Kee-Tae Kim

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

University of Science and Technology (UST)

Jongsoo Kim

University of Science and Technology (UST)

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Tae-Soo Pyo

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)

Lei Qian

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Ramprasad Rao

Academia Sinica

Mark Rawlings

East Asian Observatory

Jonathan Rawlings

University College London (UCL)

Brendan Retter

Cardiff University

John Richer

University of Cambridge

Andrew Rigby

Cardiff University

Sarah Sadavoy

Queen's University

Hiro Saito

University of Tsukuba

Giorgio Savini

University College London (UCL)

Kwansei Gakuin University

Anna Scaife

University of Manchester

Masumichi Seta

Kwansei Gakuin University

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Gwanjeong Kim

Tohoku University

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Shinyoung Kim

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

University of Science and Technology (UST)

Kyoung Hee Kim

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Mi-Ryang Kim

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Florian Kirchschlager

University College London (UCL)

Jason Kirk

University of Central Lancashire

Masato I. N. Kobayashi

University of Tokyo

Tohoku University

Patrick M. Koch

Academia Sinica

Vera Konyves

University of Central Lancashire

Takayoshi Kusune

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Jungmi Kwon

University of Tokyo

McMaster University

Kevin Lacaille

McMaster University

Dalhousie University

Chi Yan Law

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics

Sang-Sung Lee

University of Science and Technology (UST)

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Yong-Hee Lee

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Kyung Hee University

Chin-Fei Lee

Academia Sinica

Jeong-Eun Lee

Kyung Hee University

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Hyeseung Lee

Chungnam National University

Chang Won Lee

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

University of Science and Technology (UST)

Di Li

Chinese Academy of Sciences

University of KwaZulu-Natal

Hua-bai Li

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Dalei Li

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Hong-Li Liu

University of Concepcion

Yunnan University

Junhao Liu

Nanjing University

Tie Liu

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Sheng-Yuan Liu

Academia Sinica

Xing Lu

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

A-Ran Lyo

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Steve Mairs

Kagawa University

Masafumi Matsumura

Kagawa University

Brenda Matthews

National Research Council Canada

University of Victoria

Gerald Moriarty-Schieven

National Research Council Canada

Tetsuya Nagata

Kyoto University

Fumitaka Nakamura

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Hiroyuki Nakanishi

Kagoshima University

Nagayoshi Ohashi

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Takashi Onaka

McMaster University

Meisei University

University of Tokyo

Geumsook Park

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Nicolas Peretto

Cardiff University

Yoshito Shimajiri

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Hiroko Shinnaga

Kagoshima University

Motohide Tamura

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

National Institutes of Natural Sciences

McMaster University

University of Tokyo

Ya-Wen Tang

Academia Sinica

Xindi Tang

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Kohji Tomisaka

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Yusuke Tsukamoto

Kagoshima University

Serena Viti

University College London (UCL)

Hongchi Wang

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Anthony Whitworth

Cardiff University

Jinjin Xie

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Hsi-Wei Yen

Academia Sinica

Hyunju Yoo

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Jinghua Yuan

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Hyeong-Sik Yun

Kyung Hee University

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Tetsuya Zenko

Kyoto University

Yapeng Zhang

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Chuan-Peng Zhang

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Guoyin Zhang

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Jianjun Zhou

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Lei Zhu

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Ilse de Looze

University College London (UCL)

Philippe Andre

Paris Diderot University

C. Darren Dowell

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Stewart Eyres

University of South Wales

Sam Falle

University of Leeds

Jean-Francois Robitaille

Grenoble Alpes University

Sven van Loo

University of Leeds

Astrophysical Journal

0004-637X (ISSN) 1538-4357 (eISSN)

Vol. 908 1 10

Subject Categories

Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics

DOI

10.3847/1538-4357/abd0fc

More information

Latest update

3/9/2021 2