Exploring Magnetic Field Structure in Star-Forming Cores with Polarization of Thermal Dust Emission

TL;DR

This study investigates how magnetic field configurations in star-forming cores influence polarization of thermal dust emission, revealing the importance of viewing angle and magnetic alignment in interpreting observations.

Contribution

It introduces a simulation-based method to interpret polarization maps, linking observed polarization patterns to magnetic field structure and cloud properties.

Findings

Polarization distribution depends strongly on viewing angle.

Hourglass magnetic field configurations are not always present.

Early S-shaped polarization patterns can indicate misaligned magnetic fields.

Abstract

The configuration and evolution of the magnetic field in star-forming cores are investigated in order to directly compare simulations and observations. We prepare four different initial clouds having different magnetic field strengths and rotation rates, in which magnetic field lines are aligned/misaligned with the rotation axis. First, we calculate the evolution of such clouds from the prestellar stage until long after protostar formation. Then, we calculate the polarization of thermal dust emission expected from the simulation data. We create polarization maps with arbitrary viewing angles and compare them with observations. Using this procedure, we confirmed that the polarization distribution projected on the celestial plane strongly depends on the viewing angle of the cloud. Thus, by comparing the observations with the polarization map predicted by the simulations, we can roughly determine the angle between the direction of the global magnetic field and the line of sight. The configuration of the polarization vectors also depends on the viewing angle. We find that an hourglass configuration of magnetic field lines is not always realized in a collapsing cloud when the global magnetic field is misaligned with the cloud rotation axis. Depending on the viewing angle, an S-shaped configuration of the magnetic field (or the polarization vectors) appears early in the protostellar accretion phase. This indicates that not only the magnetic field but also the cloud rotation affects the dynamical evolution of such a cloud. In addition, by comparing the simulated polarization with actual observations, we can estimate properties of the host cloud such as the evolutionary stage, magnetic field strength, and rotation rate.