Formation Mechanism of Laser-driven Magnetized “Pillars of Creation”
The Pillars of Creation, one of the most recognized objects in the sky, are believed to be associated with the formation of young stars. However, so far, the formation and maintenance mechanism of the pillars are still not fully understood due to the complexity of the nonlinear radiation magnetohydr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace7b6 |
| _version_ | 1797697052217442304 |
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| author | Zhu Lei Lifeng Wang Jiwei Li Shiyang Zou Junfeng Wu Zhonghai Zhao Wei Sun Wenqiang Yuan Longxing Li Zheng Yan Jun Li Wenhua Ye Xiantu He Bin Qiao |
| author_facet | Zhu Lei Lifeng Wang Jiwei Li Shiyang Zou Junfeng Wu Zhonghai Zhao Wei Sun Wenqiang Yuan Longxing Li Zheng Yan Jun Li Wenhua Ye Xiantu He Bin Qiao |
| author_sort | Zhu Lei |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Pillars of Creation, one of the most recognized objects in the sky, are believed to be associated with the formation of young stars. However, so far, the formation and maintenance mechanism of the pillars are still not fully understood due to the complexity of the nonlinear radiation magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD). Here, assuming laboratory laser-driven conditions, we studied the self-consistent dynamics of pillar structures in magnetic fields by means of two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) RMHD simulations, and the results support our proposed experimental scheme. We find that only when the magnetic pressure and ablation pressure are comparable, the magnetic field can significantly alter the plasma hydrodynamics. For medium-magnetized cases ( β _initial ≈ 3.5), the initial magnetic fields undergo compression and amplification. This amplification results in the magnetic pressure inside the pillar becoming large enough to support the sides of the pillar against radial collapse due to pressure from the surrounding hot plasma. This effect is particularly pronounced for the parallel component ( B _y ), which is consistent with observational results. In contrast, a strong perpendicular ( B _x , B _z ) magnetic field ( β _initial < 1) almost retains its initial distribution and significantly suppresses the expansion of blown-off gas plasma, leading to the inability to form pillar-like structures. The 3D simulations suggest that the bending at the head of “Column I” in the Pillars of Creation may be due to nonparallel magnetic fields. After similarity scaling transformation, our results can be applied to explain the formation and maintenance mechanism of the pillars, and can also provide useful information for future experimental designs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:34:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6efff0c6a9424921ad1236ea51029dfa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:34:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-6efff0c6a9424921ad1236ea51029dfa2023-09-03T13:20:06ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572023-01-01954213010.3847/1538-4357/ace7b6Formation Mechanism of Laser-driven Magnetized “Pillars of Creation”Zhu Lei0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9135-7173Lifeng Wang1Jiwei Li2Shiyang Zou3Junfeng Wu4Zhonghai Zhao5Wei Sun6Wenqiang Yuan7Longxing Li8Zheng Yan9Jun Li10Wenhua Ye11Xiantu He12Bin Qiao13https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7174-5577Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics , Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China ; wang_lifeng@iapcm.ac.cnInstitute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics , Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China ; wang_lifeng@iapcm.ac.cn; Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China ; bqiao@pku.edu.cnInstitute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics , Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China ; wang_lifeng@iapcm.ac.cn; Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China ; bqiao@pku.edu.cnInstitute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics , Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China ; wang_lifeng@iapcm.ac.cnInstitute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics , Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China ; wang_lifeng@iapcm.ac.cnCenter for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China ; bqiao@pku.edu.cnDepartment of Nuclear physics, China Institute of Atomic Energy , P.O. Box 275(7), Beijing 102413, People's Republic of ChinaCenter for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China ; bqiao@pku.edu.cnCenter for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China ; bqiao@pku.edu.cnInstitute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics , Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China ; wang_lifeng@iapcm.ac.cnInstitute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics , Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China ; wang_lifeng@iapcm.ac.cnInstitute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics , Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China ; wang_lifeng@iapcm.ac.cnInstitute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics , Beijing 100094, People's Republic of China ; wang_lifeng@iapcm.ac.cn; Center for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China ; bqiao@pku.edu.cnCenter for Applied Physics and Technology, HEDPS, and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, School of Physics, Peking University , Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China ; bqiao@pku.edu.cn; Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronic, Peking University , Beijing 100094, People's Republic of ChinaThe Pillars of Creation, one of the most recognized objects in the sky, are believed to be associated with the formation of young stars. However, so far, the formation and maintenance mechanism of the pillars are still not fully understood due to the complexity of the nonlinear radiation magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD). Here, assuming laboratory laser-driven conditions, we studied the self-consistent dynamics of pillar structures in magnetic fields by means of two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) RMHD simulations, and the results support our proposed experimental scheme. We find that only when the magnetic pressure and ablation pressure are comparable, the magnetic field can significantly alter the plasma hydrodynamics. For medium-magnetized cases ( β _initial ≈ 3.5), the initial magnetic fields undergo compression and amplification. This amplification results in the magnetic pressure inside the pillar becoming large enough to support the sides of the pillar against radial collapse due to pressure from the surrounding hot plasma. This effect is particularly pronounced for the parallel component ( B _y ), which is consistent with observational results. In contrast, a strong perpendicular ( B _x , B _z ) magnetic field ( β _initial < 1) almost retains its initial distribution and significantly suppresses the expansion of blown-off gas plasma, leading to the inability to form pillar-like structures. The 3D simulations suggest that the bending at the head of “Column I” in the Pillars of Creation may be due to nonparallel magnetic fields. After similarity scaling transformation, our results can be applied to explain the formation and maintenance mechanism of the pillars, and can also provide useful information for future experimental designs.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace7b6Plasma physicsMagnetic fieldsInterstellar mediumH II regionsLaboratory astrophysicsExperimental models |
| spellingShingle | Zhu Lei Lifeng Wang Jiwei Li Shiyang Zou Junfeng Wu Zhonghai Zhao Wei Sun Wenqiang Yuan Longxing Li Zheng Yan Jun Li Wenhua Ye Xiantu He Bin Qiao Formation Mechanism of Laser-driven Magnetized “Pillars of Creation” The Astrophysical Journal Plasma physics Magnetic fields Interstellar medium H II regions Laboratory astrophysics Experimental models |
| title | Formation Mechanism of Laser-driven Magnetized “Pillars of Creation” |
| title_full | Formation Mechanism of Laser-driven Magnetized “Pillars of Creation” |
| title_fullStr | Formation Mechanism of Laser-driven Magnetized “Pillars of Creation” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Formation Mechanism of Laser-driven Magnetized “Pillars of Creation” |
| title_short | Formation Mechanism of Laser-driven Magnetized “Pillars of Creation” |
| title_sort | formation mechanism of laser driven magnetized pillars of creation |
| topic | Plasma physics Magnetic fields Interstellar medium H II regions Laboratory astrophysics Experimental models |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace7b6 |
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