Tracing Cloud Formation and Evolution Through 3D Magnetic Field Mapping

TL;DR

This study uses advanced polarization imaging to map 3D magnetic fields in two molecular clouds, revealing how magnetic fields influence cloud evolution and star formation at high resolution.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed 3D magnetic field maps of Perseus and Musca clouds using new polarization data, comparing their magnetic structures and evolutionary stages.

Findings

Magnetic fields are mapped at sub-parsec resolution in two clouds.

Differences in magnetic field morphology relate to cloud evolution.

Magnetic fields influence cloud fragmentation and star formation processes.

Abstract

We propose to use the unprecedented polarization sensitivity of PRIMA's PRIMAger Polarization Imager and its high resolution in Band 1 (92 $\mu$m) to map magnetic fields across two contrasting molecular cloud environments: the well-studied Perseus cloud and the isolated Musca filament. This comparative study will leverage the existing VLA radio observations that provide line-of-sight magnetic field component of the Perseus cloud, along with upcoming POSSUM survey results for Musca, to construct the first detailed 3D magnetic field vector maps at sub-parsec resolution. Perseus, with its known formation history through interstellar structure (e.g., bubble) interactions, will reveal how magnetic fields evolve during active star formation phases, while Musca, an isolated filament with lower star-formation activity, will show magnetic field morphology in early evolutionary stages. With PRIMA's resolution of 0.01 pc for Perseus and $<0.01$ pc for Musca, we will resolve magnetic field structures at scales necessary for understanding cloud fragmentation and star formation efficiency, and the roles that magnetic fields play in these processes. Our survey will require approximately 1438 hours to cover 42 deg$^2$ of Perseus and 12 deg$^2$ of Musca. With this, we aim to provide the first comprehensive view of how environment and evolutionary state may influence magnetic field evolution in molecular clouds and how magnetic fields influence cloud formation, fragmentation, and star formation.