Bok globule CB17: Polarization, extinction and distance

TL;DR

This study combines optical and sub-millimeter polarimetric observations to analyze the magnetic field structure, distance, and physical properties of Bok globule CB17, providing insights into its star formation processes.

Contribution

It presents the first combined optical and sub-mm polarimetric analysis of CB17, estimating magnetic field strength and globule distance using Gaia data, and explores magnetic alignment with star formation models.

Findings

Magnetic field strength at the core is approximately 99 μG.

Distance to CB17 is estimated at 253 ± 43 parsecs.

Magnetic field aligns with the globule's minor axis, supporting magnetically regulated star formation.

Abstract

In this paper, the results obtained from the polarimetric study of a Bok globule CB17 in both optical and sub-millimeter wavelength are presented. The optical polarimetric observations in R-band ($\lambda$ = 630 nm, $\Delta \lambda$ = 120 nm) were conducted from 1.04-meter Sampurnanand Telescope, ARIES, Nainital, India on 9th March 2016, while, the sub-mm polarimetric data are taken from the SCUPOL data archive which has been reanalyzed. The contours of Herschel\footnote{Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.} SPIRE 500$\mu m$ dust continuum emissions of CB17 (typically a cometary-shaped globule) are overlaid on the DSS image of CB17 along with polarization vectors (optical and submm). The magnetic field strength at the core of the globule is estimated to be $99\mu$G. Using the Near-Infrared photometric technique and \emph{Gaia} data, the distance to CB17 is found to be $253 \pm 43$ parsec. A correlation between the various quantities of the globule is also studied. It is observed that the magnetic field in the cloud core as revealed by polarization measurements at the sub-millimeter dust emission is found to be almost aligned along the minor axis of the globule which fits the magnetically regulated star formation model. The misalignment between core-scale magnetic field direction and molecular outflow direction is also found.