Disc formation in turbulent cloud cores: Circumventing the magnetic braking catastrophe

TL;DR

This study uses simulations to show that turbulence in magnetized cloud cores naturally reduces magnetic braking, allowing the formation of Keplerian discs, thus resolving the longstanding magnetic braking catastrophe in star formation.

Contribution

It demonstrates that turbulence-induced magnetic field disorder and shear flows enable disc formation despite strong magnetic fields, challenging previous idealized models.

Findings

Keplerian discs up to 100 AU form in turbulent environments.

Magnetic flux loss alone does not explain disc formation.

Turbulence reduces magnetic braking efficiency through field disorder.

Abstract

We present collapse simulations of strongly magnetised, 100 M_sun, turbulent cloud cores. Around the protostars formed during the collapse Keplerian discs with typical sizes of up to 100 AU build up in contrast to previous simulations neglecting turbulence. Analysing the condensations in which the discs form, we show that the magnetic flux loss is not sufficient to explain the build-up of Keplerian discs. The average magnetic field is strongly inclined to the disc which might reduce the magnetic braking efficiency. However, the main reason for the reduced magnetic braking efficiency is the highly disordered magnetic field in the surroundings of the discs. Furthermore, due to the lack of a coherently rotating structure in the turbulent environment of the disc no toroidal magnetic field necessary for angular momentum extraction can build up. Simultaneously the angular momentum inflow remains high due to local shear flows created by the turbulent motions. We suggest that the "magnetic braking catastrophe" is an artefact of the idealised non-turbulent initial conditions and that turbulence provides a natural mechanism to circumvent this problem.