Philippe ANDRÉ
CEA Paris-Saclay - Lab. Astrophysique (AIM)
Probing magnetic fields and star formation in filamentary clouds with far-infrared polarimetric imaging from space
Often ignored due to the difficulty of observing them, magnetic fields are a key dark ingredient of the star formation process from galactic scales to protoplanetary disks. On large scales, they may help to regulate both the formation of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and the formation of dense molecular filaments, the birth sites of most stars within GMCs. On smaller scales, the magnetic field and angular momentum of protostellar systems may be largely inherited from the processes of filament formation and fragmentation. On even smaller scales, magnetic fields are essential to generate protostellar outflows and control disk formation. Based on recent results obtained with SOFIA/HAWC+ and IRAM 30m/NIKA2-Pol, I will discuss the prospects offered on this topic by high dynamic range, high resolution olarimetric imaging with a large, cold far-IR/submm space telescope in the future, focusing on the role of magnetic fields in the fragmentation and evolution of star-forming filaments.
