Unveiling the role of magnetic fields in a filament accreting onto a young protocluster

¹ Centre for Astrochemical Studies, Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Gießenbachstraße 1, 85749 Garching bei München, Germany
e-mail: farideht@mpe.mpg.de
² INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy
³ Departamento de Física – ICEx – UFMG, Caixa Postal 702, 30.123-970 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
⁴ School of Physics & Astronomy, Cardiff University, Queen’s Building, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK

Received: 5 March 2024
Accepted: 22 June 2024

Abstract

Context. To develop a more comprehensive picture of star formation, it is essential to understand the physical relationship between dense cores and the filaments embedding them. There is evidence that magnetic fields play a crucial role in this context.

Aims. We aim to understand how magnetic fields influence the properties and kinematics of an isolated filament located east of the Barnard 59 clump, within the Pipe Nebula.

Methods. We used near-infrared polarization observations to determine the magnetic field configuration, and we applied the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi method to infer the magnetic field strength in the plane of the sky. Furthermore, we used complementary data from the James Clerk Maxwell Submillimetre Telescope of C¹⁸O and the ¹³CO J = 3–2 transition to determine the filament’s kinematics. Finally, we modeled the radial density profile of the filament with polytropic cylindrical models.

Results. Our results indicate that the filament is stable to radial collapse and is radially supported by agents other than thermal pressure. In addition, based on previous observations of emission lines on this source, we suggest that gas is flowing toward the hub, while C¹⁸O (3–2) nonthermal motions indicate that the cloud is in a quiescent state.