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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.17708 |
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| _version_ | 1866911692518064128 |
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| author | Zhao, Mengke Qiu, Keping Kang, Ji-hyun Tang, Xindi Whitworth, Anthony Ward-Thompson, Derek Onaka, Takashi Lee, Chang Won Bourke, Tyler L. Hwang, Jihye Eden, David Hoang, Thiem Tamura, Motohide Kwon, Jungmi Priestley, Felix Kim, Kee-Tae Arzoumanian, Doris Di Francesco, James Eswaraiah, Chakali Johnstone, Doug Ngoc, Nguyen Bich Chen, Zhiwei Sadavoy, Sarah Soam, Archana Furuya, Ray S. Lai, Shih-Ping Kwon, Woojin Bastien, Pierre Pattle, Kate Berry, David |
| author_facet | Zhao, Mengke Qiu, Keping Kang, Ji-hyun Tang, Xindi Whitworth, Anthony Ward-Thompson, Derek Onaka, Takashi Lee, Chang Won Bourke, Tyler L. Hwang, Jihye Eden, David Hoang, Thiem Tamura, Motohide Kwon, Jungmi Priestley, Felix Kim, Kee-Tae Arzoumanian, Doris Di Francesco, James Eswaraiah, Chakali Johnstone, Doug Ngoc, Nguyen Bich Chen, Zhiwei Sadavoy, Sarah Soam, Archana Furuya, Ray S. Lai, Shih-Ping Kwon, Woojin Bastien, Pierre Pattle, Kate Berry, David |
| contents | We present high-resolution magnetic field maps of the M17 SW molecular cloud using JCMT 850 $μ$m dust polarization at a scale of 14$''$. The magnetic field exhibits a distinct arc-like structure that encircles three dense clumps (C1, C2, and C3). By combining polarization data with ammonia line observations, the plane-of-sky magnetic field strength, measured using the Skalidis-Tassis method to minimize angle dispersion errors, ranges from 0.1 to 2.4 mG (mean: 0.54 mG). Energy budget analysis reveals a hierarchy dominated by gravity ($e_G \approx 10^{-7.8}$ erg cm$^{-3}$), which exceeds both magnetic ($e_B \approx 10^{-8.3}$ erg cm$^{-3}$) and turbulent ($e_k \approx 10^{-8.7}$ erg cm$^{-3}$) energies. Since all three energy densities lie within one order of magnitude, gravitational dominance acts primarily as the global driver, while the system remains in a state of near-equipartition. Structurally, the northeastern boundary shows magnetic field lines perpendicular to the shock front, consistent with compression from the adjacent HII region. Within the cloud, magnetic field lines generally align with gravity to assist collapse, but turn perpendicular to gravity within curved accretion bridges. This configuration provides support against radial collapse while guiding gas flow. Kinematic evidence suggests that these channels transport material from Clump C3 onto the massive Clump C2. Star formation in M17 SW is globally driven by gravity but locally regulated by the magnetic field structure. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_17708 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | BISTRO Survey: Gravity-Dominated and Magnetically Regulated Star Formation in M17 SW Zhao, Mengke Qiu, Keping Kang, Ji-hyun Tang, Xindi Whitworth, Anthony Ward-Thompson, Derek Onaka, Takashi Lee, Chang Won Bourke, Tyler L. Hwang, Jihye Eden, David Hoang, Thiem Tamura, Motohide Kwon, Jungmi Priestley, Felix Kim, Kee-Tae Arzoumanian, Doris Di Francesco, James Eswaraiah, Chakali Johnstone, Doug Ngoc, Nguyen Bich Chen, Zhiwei Sadavoy, Sarah Soam, Archana Furuya, Ray S. Lai, Shih-Ping Kwon, Woojin Bastien, Pierre Pattle, Kate Berry, David Astrophysics of Galaxies We present high-resolution magnetic field maps of the M17 SW molecular cloud using JCMT 850 $μ$m dust polarization at a scale of 14$''$. The magnetic field exhibits a distinct arc-like structure that encircles three dense clumps (C1, C2, and C3). By combining polarization data with ammonia line observations, the plane-of-sky magnetic field strength, measured using the Skalidis-Tassis method to minimize angle dispersion errors, ranges from 0.1 to 2.4 mG (mean: 0.54 mG). Energy budget analysis reveals a hierarchy dominated by gravity ($e_G \approx 10^{-7.8}$ erg cm$^{-3}$), which exceeds both magnetic ($e_B \approx 10^{-8.3}$ erg cm$^{-3}$) and turbulent ($e_k \approx 10^{-8.7}$ erg cm$^{-3}$) energies. Since all three energy densities lie within one order of magnitude, gravitational dominance acts primarily as the global driver, while the system remains in a state of near-equipartition. Structurally, the northeastern boundary shows magnetic field lines perpendicular to the shock front, consistent with compression from the adjacent HII region. Within the cloud, magnetic field lines generally align with gravity to assist collapse, but turn perpendicular to gravity within curved accretion bridges. This configuration provides support against radial collapse while guiding gas flow. Kinematic evidence suggests that these channels transport material from Clump C3 onto the massive Clump C2. Star formation in M17 SW is globally driven by gravity but locally regulated by the magnetic field structure. |
| title | BISTRO Survey: Gravity-Dominated and Magnetically Regulated Star Formation in M17 SW |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.17708 |