First observations of the magnetic field inside the Pillars of Creation: Results from the BISTRO survey

TL;DR

This study provides the first high-resolution polarimetric observations of the magnetic field within the Pillars of Creation, revealing a magnetic field aligned along the pillars that may influence their evolution and longevity.

Contribution

First direct measurement of magnetic field morphology and strength inside the Pillars of Creation using submillimeter polarimetry, offering new insights into their formation and evolution.

Findings

Magnetic field runs along the length of the pillars.

Estimated magnetic field strength is 170-320 μG.

Magnetic support may slow the pillars' evolution.

Abstract

We present the first high-resolution, submillimeter-wavelength polarimetric observations of -- and thus direct observations of the magnetic field morphology within -- the dense gas of the Pillars of Creation in M16. These 850$\,\mu$m observations, taken as part of the BISTRO (B-Fields in Star-forming Region Observations) Survey using the POL-2 polarimeter on the SCUBA-2 camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), show that the magnetic field runs along the length of the pillars, perpendicular to, and decoupled from, the field in the surrounding photoionized cloud. Using the Chandrasekhar-Fermi method we estimate a plane-of-sky magnetic field strength of $170-320\,\mu$G in the Pillars, consistent with their having been formed through compression of gas with initially weak magnetization. The observed magnetic field strength and morphology suggests that the magnetic field may be slowing the pillars' evolution into cometary globules. We thus hypothesize that the evolution and lifetime of the Pillars may be strongly influenced by the strength of the coupling of their magnetic field to that of their parent photoionized cloud -- i.e. that the Pillars' longevity results from magnetic support