Magnetic fields around BOK globules: CCD polarimetry of CB 4

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

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Interstellar Magnetic Fields, Magnetic Field Configurations, Magnetic Flux, Molecular Clouds, Morphology, Optical Polarization, Astronomical Polarimetry, Charge Coupled Devices, Data Correlation, Energy Distribution, Image Analysis, Stellar Magnitude

Scientific paper

The small Bok globule CB 4 was probed using a CCD imaging polarimeter in order to create a detailed map of the magnetic field associated with this cloud. Stars as faint as 17th mag at V band were measured polarimetrically with uncertainties less than 1%. Sky transmission variations were minimized via a system of synchronous polaroid rotation and bidirectional charge shifting. In all, 80 stars behind the periphery of the globule were accurately analyzed polarimetrically. The large-scale (1-2 pc) magnetic field direction around CB 4 was found to be very uniform (P.A. = 63.3 deg +/- 1.1 deg). Double-Gaussian fitting of the polarization position angle histogram gave a dispersion of 10 deg about the primary field direction. Possible field-line compression was found inward of approximately 0.2 pc from the cloud center. No appreciable twisting of field lines was found. By plotting stellar separations against differences of polarization angles, CB 4 was found to have a magnetic field decorrelation length of approximately 0.1 pc, similar to the size of the visually opaque cire, but much smaller than the size of the bright optical rim or CO half-power contour of approximately 0.5 pc. The magnetic field decorrelation length may be related to a characteristic transient clumping size, or perhaps even to clumps of a more permanent nature.

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