Unveiling the Dynamics of Dense Cores in Cluster-forming Clumps: A 3D Magnetohydrodynamics Simulation Study of Angular Momentum and Magnetic Field Properties

Abstract

We conducted isothermal magnetohydrodynamics simulations with self-gravity to investigate the properties of dense cores in cluster-forming clumps. Two different setups were explored: a single rotating clump and colliding clumps. We focused on determining the extent to which the rotation and magnetic field of the parental clump are inherited by the formed dense cores. Our statistical analysis revealed that the alignment between the angular momentum of dense cores, L core , and the rotational axis of the clump is influenced by the strength of turbulence and the simulation setup. In single rotating clumps, we found that L core tends to align with the clump’s rotational axis if the initial turbulence is weak. In colliding clumps, however, this alignment does not occur, regardless of the initial turbulence strength. This misalignment in colliding clumps is due to the induced turbulence from the collision and the isotropic gas inflow into dense cores. Our analysis of colliding clumps also revealed that the magnetic field globally bends along the shock-compressed layer, and the mean magnetic field of dense cores, B core , aligns with it. Both in single rotating clumps and colliding clumps, we found that the angle between B core and L core is generally random, regardless of the clump properties. We also analyzed the dynamical states of the formed cores and found a higher proportion of unbound cores in colliding clumps. In addition, the contribution of rotational energy was only approximately 5% of the gravitational energy, regardless of the model parameters for both single and colliding cases.

Dense Core Collisions in Molecular Clouds: Formation of Streamers and Binary Stars

“…However, real cores typically possess a small amount of (spin) angular momentum prior to gravitational contraction. The origin of these angular momenta is believed to be turbulence (see, e.g., Chen & Ostriker 2018;Kinoshita & Nakamura 2023). These initial angular momenta contribute to the formation of circumstellar disks around protostars.…”