2017MNRAS.467.3324L -
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 467, 3324-3337 (2017/May-3)
The dependence of protostar formation on the geometry and strength of the initial magnetic field.
LEWIS B.T. and BATE M.R.
Abstract (from CDS):
We report results from 12 simulations of the collapse of a molecular cloud core to form one or more protostars, comprising three field strengths (mass-to-flux ratios, µ, of 5, 10 and 20) and four field geometries (with values of the angle between the field and rotation axes, th, of 0°, 20°, 45° and 90°), using a smoothed particle magnetohydrodynamics method. We find that the values of both parameters have a strong effect on the resultant protostellar system and outflows. This ranges from the formation of binary systems when µ = 20 to strikingly differing outflow structures for differing values of th, in particular highly suppressed outflows when th = 90°. Misaligned magnetic fields can also produce warped pseudo-discs where the outer regions align perpendicular to the magnetic field but the innermost region re-orientates to be perpendicular to the rotation axis. We follow the collapse to sizes comparable to those of first cores and find that none of the outflow speeds exceed 8 km s–1. These results may place constraints on both observed protostellar outflows and also on which molecular cloud cores may eventually form either single stars or binaries: a sufficiently weak magnetic field may allow for disc fragmentation, whilst conversely the greater angular momentum transport of a strong field may inhibit disc fragmentation.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2017 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
Journal keyword(s):
accretion, accretion discs - MHD - binaries: general - stars: formation - stars: jets - stars: winds, outflows - stars: winds, outflows
Simbad objects:
3
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