A First Look at BISTRO Observations of The $\rho$ Oph-A core

TL;DR

This study uses submillimeter polarimetry to map magnetic field structures in the $ ho$ Oph-A core, revealing complex magnetic configurations and estimating field strengths, thus enhancing understanding of magnetic influence in star-forming regions.

Contribution

First detailed magnetic field mapping of the $ ho$ Oph-A core at 850 μm, revealing new structures and magnetic field strengths in faint regions.

Findings

Magnetic field structures are identified in faint regions with polarization > 5%.

Magnetic field strengths range from 0.2 to 5 mG in sub-core regions.

Magnetic field orientations correlate with core velocity components.

Abstract

We present 850 $\mu$m imaging polarimetry data of the $\rho$ Oph-A core taken with the Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array-2 (SCUBA-2) and its polarimeter (POL-2), as part of our ongoing survey project, BISTRO (B-fields In STar forming RegiOns). The polarization vectors are used to identify the orientation of the magnetic field projected on the plane of the sky at a resolution of 0.01 pc. We identify 10 subregions with distinct polarization fractions and angles in the 0.2 pc $\rho$ Oph A core; some of them can be part of a coherent magnetic field structure in the $\rho$ Oph region. The results are consistent with previous observations of the brightest regions of $\rho$ Oph-A, where the degrees of polarization are at a level of a few percents, but our data reveal for the first time the magnetic field structures in the fainter regions surrounding the core where the degree of polarization is much higher ($> 5 \%$). A comparison with previous near-infrared polarimetric data shows that there are several magnetic field components which are consistent at near-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. Using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, we also derive magnetic field strengths in several sub-core regions, which range from approximately 0.2 to 5 mG. We also find a correlation between the magnetic field orientations projected on the sky with the core centroid velocity components.