Magnetic fields in protostellar clusters

Qizhou Zhang

Thursday, Dec. 8th, 9:40CET

High-mass stars are predominantly found in clusters. How molecular clouds condense and fragment to form a cluster of stellar objects remains an unsolved problem in astrophysics. We investigate the role of magnetic fields during the formation of protostellar clusters. Using the Submillimeter Array (SMA), we carried out a legacy program to obtain dust polarization in a sample of protocluster forming molecular clumps. We found compelling evidence that the magnetic field affects the gas dynamics and fragmentation in protoclusters. This sample has been followed up subsequently with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in dust polarization at a higher angular resolution to probe magnetic fields within dense cores. I will present results from the SMA legacy survey as well as our followup studies with ALMA that probe the role of magnetic fields in protoclusters from the pc scale down to scales of several thousand au.