Jungmi Kwon et al. 2010 ApJ 708 758 doi:10.1088/0004-637X/708/1/758
Jungmi Kwon1,2, Minho Choi2, Soojong Pak1, Ryo Kandori3, Motohide Tamura3, Tetsuya Nagata4 and Shuji Sato5
Show affiliationsThe HH 1-2 region in the L1641 molecular cloud was observed in the near-infrared (IR) J, H, and Ks bands, and imaging polarimetry was performed. Seventy-six point-like sources were detected in all three bands. The near-IR polarizations of these sources seem to be caused mostly by the dichroic extinction. Using a color-color diagram, reddened sources with little IR excess were selected to trace the magnetic field structure of the molecular cloud. The mean polarization position angle of these sources is about 111°, which is interpreted as the projected direction of the magnetic field in the observed region of the cloud. The distribution of the polarization angle has a dispersion of about 11°, which is smaller than what was measured in previous studies. This small dispersion gives a rough estimate of the strength of the magnetic field to be about 130 μG and suggests that the global magnetic field in this region is quite regular and straight. In contrast, the outflows driven by young stellar objects in this region seem to have no preferred orientation. This discrepancy suggests that the magnetic field in the L1641 molecular cloud does not dictate the orientation of the protostars forming inside.
infrared: stars; ISM: individual (HH 1-2); ISM: structure; polarization; stars: formation
Issue 1 (2010 January 1)
Received 2009 March 29, accepted for publication 2009 November 11
Published 2009 December 15
Jungmi Kwon et al. 2010 ApJ 708 758
Chang Hyun Baek et al. 2009 ApJ 690 944
Shigehisa Takakuwa et al 2004 ApJ 616 L15
Minho Choi 2002 ApJ 575 900
Y.-S. Park et al. 2000 ApJ 542 344
Minho Choi 2001 ApJ 553 219
Kenji Hamaguchi et al. 2008 ApJ 687 425
Minho Choi and Youngung Lee 1998 ApJ 498 L71
Minho Choi et al. 2008 ApJ 687 406
Minho Choi 2001 ApJ 550 817