Understanding polarized dust emission from $\rho$ Ophiuchi A in light of grain alignment and disruption by radiative torques

TL;DR

This study investigates dust grain alignment and disruption in the $ ho$ Ophiuchi A cloud using SOFIA/HAWC+ data, revealing complex polarization behavior that challenges existing theories and suggesting composite grain structures.

Contribution

The paper combines observational data with numerical modeling to explain polarization trends, highlighting the role of grain disruption and composite structures in dust alignment.

Findings

Polarization peaks at 25-32 K and then declines, contrary to simple RATs predictions.

Modeling with grain disruption reproduces observed polarization trends.

Evidence suggests dust grains have a composite structure with a steeper size distribution.

Abstract

The alignment of dust grains with the ambient magnetic field produces polarization of starlight as well as thermal dust emission. Using the archival SOFIA/HAWC+ polarimetric data observed toward $\rho$ Ophiuchus (Oph) A cloud hosted by a B association star at 89 $\mu$m and 154 $\mu$m, we find that the fractional polarization of thermal dust emission first increases with the grain temperature and then decreases once the grain temperature exceeds $\simeq$ 25-32 K. The latter trend differs from the prediction of the popular RAdiative Torques (RATs) alignment theory which implies a monotonic increase of the polarization fraction with the grain temperature. We perform numerical modeling of polarized dust emission for the $\rho$ Oph-A cloud and calculate the degree of dust polarization by simultaneously considering the dust grain alignment and rotational disruption by RATs. Our modeling results could successfully reproduce both the rising and declining trends of the observational data. Moreover, we show that the alignment of only silicate grains or a mixture of silicate-carbon grains within a composite structure can reproduce the observational trends, assuming that all dust grains follow a power-law size distribution. Although there are a number of simplifications and limitations to our modeling, our results suggest grains in $\rho$ Oph-A cloud have a composite structure, and the grain size distribution has steeper slope than the standard size distribution for the interstellar medium. Combination of SOFIA/HAWC+ data with JCMT observations 450 $\mu$m and 850 $\mu$m would be useful to test the proposed scenario based on grain alignment and disruption by RATs.