Connecting Magnetic Fields From Molecular Clouds to Protostellar Systems: The Multiscale Behaviors in Star-Forming Regions

研究人员将模拟磁场对星际云中形成的恒星的影响。这些云是恒星的诞生地。研究人员将把他们的理论结果与最近的观测结果进行比较，目的是了解磁场在控制恒星诞生方面的重要性。他们的研究结果也将帮助我们了解太阳系的起源。该团队计划了一系列教育和推广活动。例如，他们计划将他们的恒星形成模型制作成动画电影，用于公开演讲和天文学课程。该项目还将在女科学家职业生涯的早期阶段为她们提供支持和培训。研究人员将进行一系列三维磁流体动力学模拟，以跟踪从星际云到原恒星系统等一系列尺度上磁场结构的演变。他们将在模拟的基础上对尘埃极化进行理论预测。他们将把他们的预测与几个实验的观测数据进行比较，包括气球载大孔径亚毫米偏振望远镜（BLASTPol）和阿塔卡马大型毫米/亚毫米阵列（ALMA），以及美国国家科学基金会资助的50米大毫米望远镜（LMT）上的TolTEC仪器的未来数据。目的是确定星际云中磁场的强度及其在恒星形成中的作用。该计划的一个显著特点是执行尖端计算机模拟的理论家和使用LMT上的BLASTPol和TolTEC制作最详细的恒星形成云偏振图的观测者之间的密切合作。通过对理论和观测的最全面的比较，研究小组将测试他们的磁场在恒星形成中的作用模型。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The investigators will simulate the effect of magnetic fields on the stars forming in interstellar clouds. These clouds are the birthplace of stars. The investigators will compare their theoretical results with recent observations, with the aim of understanding the importance of magnetic fields in controlling the birth of stars. Their results will also help us understand origin of our solar system. The team plans a range of educational and outreach activities. For example, they plan to animate movies of their star formation models, for use in public talks and astronomy classes. This program will also support and train women scientists during the early phase of their careers.The investigators will carry out a series of three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic simulations to follow the evolution of the magnetic field structure on a range of scales, from the interstellar clouds to proto-stellar systems. They will make theoretical predictions of the dust polarization based on the simulations. They will compare their predictions to observational data from the several experiments, including the Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope for Polarimetry (BLASTPol), and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and future data from NSF-funded TolTEC instrument on the 50-meter Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT). The goal is to determine the strength of the magnetic field in the interstellar clouds and its role in the formation of stars. A salient feature of the proposed program is the close collaboration between theorists who perform cutting-edge computer simulations and observers who are leading the effort to produce the most detailed polarization maps of star-forming clouds using BLASTPol and TolTEC on LMT. Through the most comprehensive comparison between theory and observation, the team will test their models for the role of magnetic fields in star formation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.