The alignment of molecular cloud magnetic fields with the spiral arms in M33

Hua-bai Li () and Thomas Henning
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Hua-bai Li: Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
Thomas Henning: Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany

Nature, 2011, vol. 479, issue 7374, 499-501

Abstract: Magnetic component in star formation Many mechanisms have been proposed to explain galactic star formation, thought to occur mainly in interstellar molecular clouds that are rich in dust and gas. Some cloud-formation models suggest that a large-scale galactic magnetic field is irrelevant at the scale of individual clouds; others say that galactic fields are strong enough to impose their direction on individual clouds. Using the Submillimeter Array at Mauna Kea in Hawaii, Hua-bai Li and Thomas Henning have observed magnetic fields from the M33 galaxy in the constellation Triangulum, our nearest face-on galaxy with pronounced optical spiral arms. They find six giant molecular cloud complexes, all aligned with the spiral arms, suggesting that the large-scale field in M33 anchors the clouds.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature10551

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