SMA Research: NGC 1333 IRAS 4A: Star formation regulated by magnetic fields
 

The protostellar system NGC 1333 IRAS 4A is the first textbook example of an hourglass-shaped magnetic field (shown by  red bars) in a low mass star formation region. The color image shows the 880 micron dust continuum radiation from the dense molecular core that surrounds two still-forming Sun-like stars (their location is indicated by two triangles). Gravity is pulling the gas and dust of this interstellar cloud clump inward, warping the magnetic field in the process. This image is about 7 arcseconds on a side, which translates to a physical size of 2,700 AU. Further analysis of the SMA data has shown that the magnetic field morphology threading this core matches very well the theoretical predictions from magnetohydrodynamic collapse models.

Science Publications

  • Girart, Josep M. (Institut de Ciències de l'Espai (CSIC-IEEC); Rao, Ramprasad (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA); Marrone, Daniel P. (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
    Magnetic Fields in the Formation of Sun-Like Stars, 2006, Science, 313, 821 (ADS)
  • Gonçalves, J (Centro de Astronomia e Astrofísica da Universidade de Lisboa); Galli, D. (INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri,); Girart, Josep M.(Institut de Ciències de l'Espai(CSIC-IEEC)
    Modeling the magnetic field in the protostellar source NGC 1333 IRAS 4A, 2008, A&A, 490, L39 (ADS)
  • Frau, P. (Institut de Ciències de l'Espai CCSIC-IEE); Galli, D. (INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri); Girart, Josep M. (Institut de Ciències de l'Espai (CSIC-IEEC)
    Comparing star formation models with interferometric observations of the protostar NGC 1333 IRAS 4A. I. Magnetohydrodynamic collapse models, 2011, A&A, 535, A44 (ADS)
  •   NGC 1333 IRAS 4A: Star formation regulated by magnetic fields

    Josep M. Girart, et al., 2006