Polarization Structure of Filamentary Clouds

TL;DR

This paper simulates polarization patterns of magnetohydrostatic filaments in molecular clouds, revealing how magnetic field orientation and density distribution influence observed polarization signals.

Contribution

It provides a detailed simulation of polarization patterns in filaments considering different density ratios and magnetic field orientations, enhancing understanding of magnetic structures in molecular clouds.

Findings

Polarization patterns depend on filament density contrast and viewing angle.

High density contrast filaments show magnetic fields perpendicular to the filament.

Mass concentration at the flux tube affects polarization similarly to low contrast models.

Abstract

Filaments are considered to be basic structures and molecular clouds consist of filaments. Filaments are often observed as extending in the direction perpendicular to the interstellar magnetic field. The structure of filaments has been studied based on a magnetohydrostatic equilibrium model (Tomisaka 2014). Here, we simulate the expected polarization pattern for isothermal magnetohydrostatic filaments. The filament exhibits a polarization pattern in which the magnetic field is apparently perpendicular to the filament when observed from the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field. When the line-of-sight is parallel to the global magnetic field, the observed polarization pattern is dependent on the center-to-surface density ratio for the filament and the concentration of the gas mass toward the central magnetic flux tube. Filaments with low center-to-surface density ratios have an insignificant degree of polarization when observed from the direction parallel to the global magnetic field. However, models with a large center-to-surface density ratio have polarization patterns that indicate the filament is perpendicularly threaded by the magnetic field. When mass is heavily concentrated at the central magnetic flux tube, which can be realized by the ambipolar diffusion process, the polarization pattern is similar to that expected for a low center-to-surface density contrast.