Orion A's complete 3D magnetic field morphology

TL;DR

This study reconstructs the 3D magnetic field of the Orion A molecular cloud, revealing its tilted, semi-convex shape and providing new insights into its orientation and the influence of local bubbles and events.

Contribution

First to determine the 3D magnetic field orientation of Orion A, combining models and observations to reveal its arc-shaped, tilted morphology.

Findings

The 3D magnetic field is a tilted, semi-convex structure.

The magnetic field mostly points toward decreasing latitude and longitude.

Bubbles and events have shaped the magnetic field morphology.

Abstract

Magnetic fields permeate the interstellar medium and are important in the star formation process. Determining the 3D magnetic fields of molecular clouds will allow us to better understand their role in the evolution of these clouds and formation of stars. We fully reconstruct the approximate three-dimensional (3D) magnetic field morphology of the Orion A molecular cloud (on scales of a few to ~100 pc) using Galactic magnetic field models, as well as present line-of-sight and plane-of-sky magnetic field observations. While previous studies identified the 3D magnetic field morphology of the Orion A cloud as an arc shape, in this study we provide the orientation of this arc-shaped field and its plane-of-sky direction, for the first time. We find that this 3D field is a tilted, semi-convex (from our point of view) structure and mostly points in the direction of decreasing latitude and longitude on the plane of the sky, from our vantage point. The previously identified bubbles and events in this region were key in shaping this arc-shaped magnetic field morphology.