event
Wednesday 22 Apr 2020: [Seminar] The JCMT BISTRO Survey: Variation of magnetic field and grain alignment properties within the Ophiuchus Molecular Cloud
Kate Pattle - National University of Ireland Galway
Remote seminar 14:00-15:00
The role and relative importance of magnetic fields in the late stages of mass assembly within molecular clouds remains highly uncertain. In this talk I will discuss recent results from the JCMT (James Clerk Maxwell Telescope) POL-2 polarimeter and the JCMT BISTRO (B-Fields in Star-Forming Region Observations) survey, which is currently mapping star-forming regions within 2 kpc of the Solar System in submillimetre polarized light. The resolution and sensitivity of the BISTRO observations allows magnetic fields to be traced from low to high densities in star-forming gas, and provides new insights into the depths into molecular clouds to which dust grains are aligned with the magnetic field. I will particularly discuss recent observations of the nearby Ophiuchus molecular cloud, a well-resolved site of low to intermediate-mass star formation. The proximity of this molecular cloud allows for detailed investigation of the variation of magnetic field morphology and dust grain alignment with local environment within an individual star-forming region. Our results demonstrate that the magnetized behaviour of individual star-forming clumps is strongly influenced by local effects and stellar feedback.
