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Magnetic Fields and Disks in Star-forming Regions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2016

C.M. Wright
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University College, University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, ACT 2600
D.K. Aitken
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University College, University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, ACT 2600
C.H. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University College, University of New South Wales, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, ACT 2600
P.F. Roche
Affiliation:
Department of Astrophysics, Oxford University, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH, England

Abstract

The star-formation process is an outstanding and largely unsolved problem in astrophysics. The role of magnetic fields is unclear but is widely considered to be important at all stages of protostellar evolution, from cloud collapse to ZAMS. For example, in some hydromagnetic models, the field may assist in removing angular momentum, thereby driving accretion and perhaps bipolar outflows.

Spectropolarimetry between 8 and 13μm provides information on the direction of the transverse component of a magnetic field through the alignment of dust grains. We present results of 8–13μm spectropolarimetric observations of a number of bipolar molecular outflow sources, and compare the field directions observed with the axes of the outflows and putative disk-like structures observed to be associated with some of the objects. There is a strong correlation, though so far with limited statistics, between the magnetic field and disk orientations. We compare our results with magnetic field configurations predicted by current models for hydromagnetically driven winds from the disks around Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). Our results appear to argue against the Pudritz and Norman model and instead seem to support the Uchida and Shibata model.

Type
Galactic and Stellar
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 1993

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