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Main Authors: Bešlić, Ivana, Coudé, Simon, Lis, Dariusz C., Gerin, Maryvonne, Goldsmith, Paul F., Pety, Jerome, Roueff, Antoine, Demyk, Karine, Dowell, Charles D., Einig, Lucas, Goicoechea, Javier R., Levrier, Francois, Orkisz, Jan, Peretto, Nicolas, Santa-Maria, Miriam G., Ysard, Nathalie, Zakardjian, Antoine
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.17171
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author Bešlić, Ivana
Coudé, Simon
Lis, Dariusz C.
Gerin, Maryvonne
Goldsmith, Paul F.
Pety, Jerome
Roueff, Antoine
Demyk, Karine
Dowell, Charles D.
Einig, Lucas
Goicoechea, Javier R.
Levrier, Francois
Orkisz, Jan
Peretto, Nicolas
Santa-Maria, Miriam G.
Ysard, Nathalie
Zakardjian, Antoine
author_facet Bešlić, Ivana
Coudé, Simon
Lis, Dariusz C.
Gerin, Maryvonne
Goldsmith, Paul F.
Pety, Jerome
Roueff, Antoine
Demyk, Karine
Dowell, Charles D.
Einig, Lucas
Goicoechea, Javier R.
Levrier, Francois
Orkisz, Jan
Peretto, Nicolas
Santa-Maria, Miriam G.
Ysard, Nathalie
Zakardjian, Antoine
contents Star formation is essential in galaxy evolution and the cycling of matter. The support of interstellar clouds against gravitational collapse by magnetic (B-) fields has been proposed to explain the low observed star formation efficiency in galaxies and the Milky Way. Despite the Planck satellite providing a 5-15' all-sky map of the B-field geometry in the diffuse interstellar medium, higher spatial resolution observations are required to understand the transition from diffuse gas to gravitationally unstable filaments. NGC 2024, the Flame Nebula, in the nearby Orion B molecular cloud, contains a young, expanding HII region and a dense filament that harbors embedded protostellar objects. Therefore, NGC 2024 is an excellent opportunity to study the role of B-fields in the formation, evolution, and collapse of filaments, as well as the dynamics and effects of young HII regions on the surrounding molecular gas. We combine new 154 and 216 micron dust polarization measurements carried out using the HAWC+ instrument aboard SOFIA with molecular line observations of 12CN(1-0) and HCO+(1-0) from the IRAM 30-meter telescope to determine the B-field geometry and to estimate the plane of the sky magnetic field strength across the NGC 2024. The HAWC+ observations show an ordered B-field geometry in NGC 2024 that follows the morphology of the expanding HII region and the direction of the main filament. The derived plane of the sky B-field strength is moderate, ranging from 30 to 80 micro G. The strongest B-field is found at the northern-west edge of the HII region, characterized by the highest gas densities and molecular line widths. In contrast, the weakest field is found toward the filament in NGC 2024. The B-field has a non-negligible influence on the gas stability at the edges of the expanding HII shell (gas impacted by the stellar feedback) and the filament (site of the current star formation).
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_17171
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The magnetic field in the Flame nebula
Bešlić, Ivana
Coudé, Simon
Lis, Dariusz C.
Gerin, Maryvonne
Goldsmith, Paul F.
Pety, Jerome
Roueff, Antoine
Demyk, Karine
Dowell, Charles D.
Einig, Lucas
Goicoechea, Javier R.
Levrier, Francois
Orkisz, Jan
Peretto, Nicolas
Santa-Maria, Miriam G.
Ysard, Nathalie
Zakardjian, Antoine
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Star formation is essential in galaxy evolution and the cycling of matter. The support of interstellar clouds against gravitational collapse by magnetic (B-) fields has been proposed to explain the low observed star formation efficiency in galaxies and the Milky Way. Despite the Planck satellite providing a 5-15' all-sky map of the B-field geometry in the diffuse interstellar medium, higher spatial resolution observations are required to understand the transition from diffuse gas to gravitationally unstable filaments. NGC 2024, the Flame Nebula, in the nearby Orion B molecular cloud, contains a young, expanding HII region and a dense filament that harbors embedded protostellar objects. Therefore, NGC 2024 is an excellent opportunity to study the role of B-fields in the formation, evolution, and collapse of filaments, as well as the dynamics and effects of young HII regions on the surrounding molecular gas. We combine new 154 and 216 micron dust polarization measurements carried out using the HAWC+ instrument aboard SOFIA with molecular line observations of 12CN(1-0) and HCO+(1-0) from the IRAM 30-meter telescope to determine the B-field geometry and to estimate the plane of the sky magnetic field strength across the NGC 2024. The HAWC+ observations show an ordered B-field geometry in NGC 2024 that follows the morphology of the expanding HII region and the direction of the main filament. The derived plane of the sky B-field strength is moderate, ranging from 30 to 80 micro G. The strongest B-field is found at the northern-west edge of the HII region, characterized by the highest gas densities and molecular line widths. In contrast, the weakest field is found toward the filament in NGC 2024. The B-field has a non-negligible influence on the gas stability at the edges of the expanding HII shell (gas impacted by the stellar feedback) and the filament (site of the current star formation).
title The magnetic field in the Flame nebula
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.17171