TTitle:
Distortion of Magnetic Fields in Prestellar Cores
Author(s):
R. Kandori, M. Tamura, K. Tatematsu, N. Kusakabe, Y. Nakajima (NAOJ),
G. Franco (UFMG), F. Alves (CSIC/IEEE), M. Ueno (U-Tokyo),
J. Hough (U-Hertfordshire)
Abstract:
Abstract should be within about 250 words.
Magnetic fields are believed to play an important role in controlling
the stability and contraction of molecular cloud cores. In the present
study, magnetic fields of cold prestellar cores are mapped based on
wide-field near-infrared polarimetric observations of background stars
using the SIRPOL JHKs-simultaneous imaging polarimeter on the IRSF
1.4-m telescope in South Africa. We found a variety of magnetic fields
in and around the cores including a distinct "hourglass-shaped" magnetic
field identified toward the well known prestellar core, Barnard 68.
The hourglass structure can serve as the observational evidence of
magnetic fields distorted by mass accumulation in a prestellar core.
Our findings on the geometry of magnetic fields as well as the
mass-to-magnetic flux ratio of prestellar cores will be presented.
We also summarize on-going corporative researches between IRSF/SIRPOL
and the Subaru telescope.