arXiv subjects

Shu-ichiro Inutsuka

Publications and source records attributed to Shu-ichiro Inutsuka.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

The JCMT BISTRO-2 Survey: Magnetic Fields of the Massive DR21 Filament

We present 850 $μ$m dust polarization observations of the massive DR21 filament from the B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey, using the POL-2 polarimeter and the SCUBA-2 camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We detect ordered magnetic fields perpendicular to the parsec-scale ridge of the DR21 main filament. In the sub-filaments, the magnetic fields are mainly parallel to the filamentary structures and smoothly connect to the magnetic fields of the main filament. We compare the POL-2 and Planck dust polarization observations to study the magnetic field structures of the DR21 filament on 0.1--10 pc scales. The magnetic fields revealed in the Planck data are well aligned with those of the POL-2 data, indicating a smooth variation of magnetic fields from large to small scales. The plane-of-sky magnetic field strengths derived from angular dispersion functions of dust polarization are 0.6--1.0 mG in the DR21 filament and $\sim$ 0.1 mG in the surrounding ambient gas. The mass-to-flux ratios are found to be magnetically supercritical in the filament and slightly subcritical to nearly critical in the ambient gas. The alignment between column density structures and magnetic fields changes from random alignment in the low-density ambient gas probed by Planck to mostly perpendicular in the high-density main filament probed by JCMT. The magnetic field structures of the DR21 filament are in agreement with MHD simulations of a strongly magnetized medium, suggesting that magnetic fields play an important role in shaping the DR21 main filament and sub-filaments.

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arXiv2022

Evolution of the Angular Momentum of Molecular Cloud Cores Formed from Filament Fragmentation

The angular momentum of molecular cloud cores plays an essential role in the star formation process. However, the time evolution of the angular momentum of molecular cloud cores is still unclear. In this paper, we perform three-dimensional simulations to investigate the time evolution of the angular momentum of molecular cloud cores formed through filament fragmentation. As a result, we find that most of the cores rotate perpendicular to the filament axis. The mean angular momentum of the cores changes by only around 30% during the initial stage of their formation process and then remains almost constant. In addition, we analyze the internal angular momentum structure of the cores. Although the cores gain angular momentum with various directions from the initial turbulent velocity fluctuations of their parent filaments, the angular momentum profile in each core converges to the self-similar solution. We also show that the degree of complexity of the angular momentum structure in a core slightly decreases with time. Moreover, we perform synthetic observations and show that the angular momentum profile measured from the synthetic mean velocity map is compatible with the observations when the filament inclination is taken into account. The present study suggests a theory of core formation from filament fragmentation where the angular momentum structures of the cores are determined by the velocity fluctuation along the filaments and both are compatible with the observations. This theory also provides new insights on the core properties that could be observationally tested.

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arXiv2022

Planetesimal formation by the gravitational instability of dust ring structures

We investigate the gravitational instability (GI) of dust-ring structures and the formation of planetesimals by their gravitational collapse. The normalized dispersion relation of a self-gravitating ring structure includes two parameters that are related to its width and line mass (the mass per unit length). We survey these parameters and calculate the growth rate and wavenumber. Additionally, we investigate the planetesimal formation by growth of the GI of the ring that is formed by the growth of the secular GI of the protoplanetary disk. We adopt a massive, dust rich disk as a disk model. We find the range of radii for the fragmentation by the ring GI as a function of the width of the ring. The inner-most radius for the ring GI is smaller for the smaller ring width. We also determine the range of the initial planetesimal mass resulting from the fragmentation of the ring GI. Our results indicate that the planetesimal mass can be as large as 10^28 g at its birth after the fragmentation. It can be as low as about 10^25 g if the ring width is 0.1% of the ring radius and the lower limit increases with the ring width. Furthermore, we obtain approximate formulas for the upper and lower limits of the planetesimal mass. We predict that the planetesimals formed by the ring GI have prograde rotations because of the Coriolis force acting on the contracting dust. This is consistent with the fact that many trans-Neptunian binaries exhibit prograde rotation.

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arXiv2022

Nonlinear Outcome of Coagulation Instability in Protoplanetary Disks II: Dust Ring Formation Mediated by Backreaction and Fragmentation

In our previous work (Paper I), we demonstrated that coagulation instability results in dust concentration against depletion due to the radial drift and accelerates dust growth locally. In this work (Paper II), we perform numerical simulations of coagulation instability taking into account effects of backreaction to gas and collisional fragmentation of dust grains. We find that the slowdown of the dust drift due to backreaction regulates dust concentration in the nonlinear growth phase of coagulation instability. The dust-to-gas surface density ratio increases from $10^{-3}$ up to $\sim10^{-2}$. Each resulting dust ring tends to have mass of $\simeq0.5M_{\oplus}-1.5M_{\oplus}$ in our disk model. In contrast to Paper I, the dust surface density profile shows a local plateau structure at each dust ring. In spite of the regulation at the nonlinear growth, the efficient dust concentration reduces their collision velocity. As a result, dust grains can grow beyond the fragmentation barrier, and the dimensionless stopping time reaches unity as in Paper I. The necessary condition for the efficient dust growth is (1) weak turbulence of $α<1\times10^{-3}$ and (2) a large critical velocity for dust fragmentation ($> 1$ m/s). The efficient dust concentration in outer regions will reduce the inward pebble flux and is expected to decelerate the planet formation via the pebble accretion. We also find that the resulting rings can be unstable to secular gravitational instability (GI). The subsequent secular GI promotes planetesimal formation. We thus expect that a combination of these instabilities is a promising mechanism for dust-ring and planetesimal formation.

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arXiv2022

Nonlinear Outcome of Coagulation Instability in Protoplanetary Disks I: First Numerical Study of Accelerated Dust Growth and Dust Concentration at Outer Radii

Our previous linear analysis presents a new instability driven by dust coagulation in protoplanetary disks. The coagulation instability has the potential to concentrate dust grains into rings and assist dust coagulation and planetesimal formation. In this series of papers, we perform numerical simulations and investigate nonlinear outcome of coagulation instability. In this paper (Paper I), we first conduct local simulations to demonstrate the existence of coagulation instability. Linear growth observed in the simulations is in good agreement with the previous linear analysis. We next conduct radially global simulations to demonstrate that coagulation instability develops during the inside-out disk evolution due to dust growth. To isolate the various effects on dust concentration and growth, we neglect effects of backreaction to a gas disk and dust fragmentation in Paper I. This simplified simulation shows that either of backreaction or fragmentation is not prerequisite for local dust concentration via the instability. In most runs with weak turbulence, dust concentration via coagulation instability overcomes dust depletion due to radial drift, leading to the formation of multiple dust rings. The nonlinear development of coagulation instability also accelerates dust growth, and the dimensionless stopping time $τ_{\mathrm{s}}$ reaches unity even at outer radii (>10 au). Therefore, coagulation instability is one promising process to retain dust grains and to accelerate dust growth beyond the drift barrier.

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arXiv2022

Effects of magnetic field orientations in dense cores on gas kinematics in protostellar envelopes

Theoretically, misalignment between the magnetic field and rotational axis in a dense core is considered to be dynamically important in the star formation process, however, extent of this influence remains observationally unclear. For a sample of 32 Class 0 and I protostars in the Perseus Molecular Cloud, we analyzed gas motions using C$^{18}$O data from the SMA MASSES survey and the magnetic field structures using 850 $μ$m polarimetric data from the JCMT BISTRO-1 survey and archive. We do not find any significant correlation between the velocity gradients in the C$^{18}$O emission in the protostellar envelopes at a 1,000 au scale and the misalignment between the outflows and magnetic field orientations in the dense cores at a 4,000 au scale, and there is also no correlation between the velocity gradients and the angular dispersions of the magnetic fields. However, a significant dependence on the misalignment angles emerges after we normalize the rotational motion by the infalling motion, where the ratios increase from $\lesssim1$ to $\gtrsim1$ with increasing misalignment angles. This suggests that the misalignment could prompt angular momentum transportation to the envelope scale but is not a dominant factor in determining the envelope rotation, and other parameters, like mass accretion in protostellar sources, also play an important role. These results remain valid after taking into account projection effects. The comparison between our estimated angular momentum in the protostellar envelopes and the sizes of the known protostellar disks suggests that significant angular momentum is likely lost between radii of $\sim$1,000-100 au in protostellar envelopes.

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arXiv2022

B-fields in Star-Forming Region Observations (BISTRO): Magnetic Fields in the Filamentary Structures of Serpens Main

We present 850 $μ$m polarimetric observations toward the Serpens Main molecular cloud obtained using the POL-2 polarimeter on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) as part of the B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey. These observations probe the magnetic field morphology of the Serpens Main molecular cloud on about 6000 au scales, which consists of cores and six filaments with different physical properties such as density and star formation activity. Using the histogram of relative orientation (HRO) technique, we find that magnetic fields are parallel to filaments in less dense filamentary structures where $N_{H_2} < 0.93\times 10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$ (magnetic fields perpendicular to density gradients), while being perpendicular to filaments (magnetic fields parallel to density gradients) in dense filamentary structures with star formation activity. Moreover, applying the HRO technique to denser core regions, we find that magnetic field orientations change to become perpendicular to density gradients again at $N_{H_2} \approx 4.6 \times 10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$. This can be interpreted as a signature of core formation. At $N_{H_2} \approx 16 \times 10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$ magnetic fields change back to being parallel to density gradients once again, which can be understood to be due to magnetic fields being dragged in by infalling material. In addition, we estimate the magnetic field strengths of the filaments ($B_{POS} = 60-300~μ$G)) using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method and discuss whether the filaments are gravitationally unstable based on magnetic field and turbulence energy densities.

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arXiv2022

Velocity structure of the 50 pc-long NGC 6334 filamentary cloud: Hints of multiple compressions and their impact on the cloud properties?

[Abridged] The interstellar medium is observed to be organised in filamentary structures, as well as neutral (HI) and ionized (HII) bubbles. The expanding nature of these bubbles makes them shape their surroundings and possibly play a role in the formation and evolution of interstellar filaments. We present APEX $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O(2-1) observations of the NGC 6334 molecular cloud. We investigate the gas velocity structure along and across the 50 pc-long cloud and towards 75 identified velocity-coherent-filaments (VCFs). We measure a wealth of velocity gradients along the VCFs. We derive the column density and velocity power spectra of the VCFs. These power spectra are well represented with power laws showing similar slopes for both quantities (with a mean of about -2), albeit some differ by up to a factor of two. The position velocity diagrams perpendicular to three VCFs show the V-shaped velocity pattern, corresponding to a bent structure in velocity space with the filament at the tip of the V surrounded by an extended structure connected to it with a velocity gradient. This velocity structure is qualitatively similar to that resulting from numerical simulations of filament formation from large-scale compression from propagating shock fronts. In addition, the radial profiles perpendicular to these VCFs hint to small-scale internal impacts from neighbouring HII bubbles. The observed opposite curvature in velocity space towards the VCFs points to various origins of large-scale external compressions from propagating HI bubbles. This suggests the plausible importance of multiple HI compressions, separated in space and time, in the formation and evolution of molecular clouds and their star formation history. These latter atomic compressions due to past and distant star formation events are complemented by the impact of HII bubbles from present time and local star formation activity.

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arXiv2021

The Effects of Cosmic-Ray Diffusion and Radiative Cooling on the Galactic Wind from the Milky Way

The effects of cosmic-ray diffusion and radiative cooling on the structure of the Galactic wind are studied using a steady state approximation. It is known that realistic cooling processes suppress the wind from launching. The effects of cosmic-ray diffusion are also supposed to be unfavorable for launching the wind. Both of these effects have not been studied simultaneously in a steady-state approximation of the wind. We find 327,254 solutions of the steady-state Galactic wind and confirm that: the effect of cosmic-ray pressure depends on the Alfv{é}n Mach number, the mass flux carried by the wind does not depend on the cosmic-ray pressure directly (but depends on the thermal pressure), and the typical conditions found in the Galaxy may correspond to the wind solution that provides metal polluted matters at a height of $\sim300$~kpc from the disk.

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arXiv2021

The JCMT BISTRO Survey: Evidence for Pinched Magnetic Fields in Quiescent Filaments of NGC 1333

We investigate the internal 3D magnetic structure of dense interstellar filaments within NGC 1333 using polarization data at $850 μ\mathrm{m}$ from the $B$-fields In STar-forming Region Observations survey at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. Theoretical models predict that the magnetic field lines in a filament will tend to be dragged radially inward (i.e., pinched) toward the central axis due to the filament's self-gravity. We study the cross-sectional profiles of the total intensity ($I$) and polarized intensity (PI) of dust emission in four segments of filaments unaffected by local star formation that are expected to retain a pristine magnetic field structure. We find that the filaments' FWHM in PI are not the same as those in $I$, with two segments being appreciably narrower in PI (FWHM ratio $\simeq 0.7-0.8$) and one segment being wider (FWHM ratio $\simeq 1.3$). The filament profiles of the polarization fraction ($P$) do not show a minimum at the spine of the filament, which is not in line with an anticorrelation between $P$ and $I$ normally seen in molecular clouds and protostellar cores. Dust grain alignment variation with density cannot reproduce the observed $P$ distribution. We demonstrate numerically that the $I$ and PI cross-sectional profiles of filaments in magnetohydrostatic equilibrium will have differing relative widths depending on the viewing angle. The observed variations of FWHM ratios in NGC 1333 are therefore consistent with models of pinched magnetic field structures inside filaments, and especially if they are magnetically near-critical or supercritical.

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arXiv2021

Dispersal of protoplanetary disks by the combination of magnetically driven and photoevaporative winds

We investigate the roles of magnetically driven disk wind (MDW) and thermally driven photoevaporative wind (PEW) in the long-time evolution of protoplanetary disks. We start simulations from the early phase in which the disk mass is $0.118\,{\mathrm{M}_{\odot}}$ around a $1\,{\mathrm{M}_{\odot}}$ star and track the evolution until the disk is completely dispersed. We incorporate the mass loss by PEW and the mass loss and magnetic braking (wind torque) by MDW, in addition to the viscous accretion, viscous heating, and stellar irradiation. We find that MDW and PEW respectively have different roles: magnetically driven wind ejects materials from an inner disk in the early phase, whereas photoevaporation has a dominant role in the late phase in the outer ($\gtrsim1\,$au) disk. The disk lifetime, which depends on the combination of MDW, PEW, and viscous accretion, shows a large variation of $\sim1$-$20\,$Myr; the gas is dispersed mainly by the MDW and the PEW in the cases with a low viscosity and the lifetime is sensitive to the mass-loss rate and torque of the MDW, whereas the lifetime is insensitive to these parameters when the viscosity is high. Even in disks with very weak turbulence, the cooperation of MDW and PEW enables the disk dispersal within a few Myr.

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arXiv2021

"Ash-fall" induced by molecular outflow in protostar evolution

Dust growth and its associated dynamics play key roles in the first phase of planet formation in young stellar objects (YSOs). Observations have detected signs of dust growth in very young protoplanetary disks. Furthermore, signs of planet formation, gaps in the disk at a distance of several 10 astronomical units (AU) from the central protostar are also reported. From a theoretical point of view, however, it is not clear how planet form at the outer region of a disk despite the difficulty due to rapid inward drift of dust so called radial drift barrier. Here, on the basis of three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of disk evolution with the dust growth, we propose a mechanism named "ash-fall" phenomenon induced by powerful molecular outflow driven by magnetic field which may circumvent the radial drift barrier. We found that the large dust which grows to a size of $\sim \cm$ in the inner region of a disk is entrained by an outflow from the disk. Then large dust decoupled from gas is ejected from the outflow due to centrifugal force, enriching the grown dust in the envelope and is eventually fall onto the outer edge of the disk. The overall process is similar to behaviour of ash-fall from volcanic eruptions. In the ash-fall phenomenon, the Stokes number of dust increases by reaccreting to the less dense disk outer edge. This may make the dust grains overcome the radial drift barrier. Consequently, the ash-fall phenomenon can provide a crucial assist for making the formation of the planetesimals in outer region of the disk possible, and hence the formation of wide-orbit planets and the formation of the gaps.

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arXiv2021

The JCMT BISTRO Survey: An 850/450$μ$m Polarization Study of NGC 2071IR in OrionB

We present the results of simultaneous 450 $μ$m and 850 $μ$m polarization observations toward the massive star forming region NGC 2071IR, a target of the BISTRO (B-fields in Star-Forming Region Observations) Survey, using the POL-2 polarimeter and SCUBA-2 camera mounted on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We find a pinched magnetic field morphology in the central dense core region, which could be due to a rotating toroidal disk-like structure and a bipolar outflow originating from the central young stellar object, IRS 3. Using the modified Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, we obtain a plane-of-sky magnetic field strength of 563$\pm$421 $μ$G in the central $\sim$0.12 pc region from 850 $μ$m polarization data. The corresponding magnetic energy density of 2.04$\times$10$^{-8}$ erg cm$^{-3}$ is comparable to the turbulent and gravitational energy densities in the region. We find that the magnetic field direction is very well aligned with the whole of the IRS 3 bipolar outflow structure. We find that the median value of polarization fractions, 3.0 \%, at 450 $μ$m in the central 3 arcminute region, which is larger than the median value of 1.2 \% at 850 $μ$m. The trend could be due to the better alignment of warmer dust in the strong radiation environment. We also find that polarization fractions decrease with intensity at both wavelengths, with slopes, determined by fitting a Rician noise model, of $0.59 \pm 0.03$ at 450 $μ$m and $0.36 \pm 0.04$ at 850 $μ$m, respectively. We think that the shallow slope at 850 $μ$m is due to grain alignment at the center being assisted by strong radiation from the central young stellar objects.

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arXiv2021

Classification of Filament Formation Mechanisms in Magnetized Molecular Clouds

Recent observations of molecular clouds show that dense filaments are the sites of present-day star formation. Thus, it is necessary to understand the filament formation process because these filaments provide the initial condition for star formation. Theoretical research suggests that shock waves in molecular clouds trigger filament formation. Since several different mechanisms have been proposed for filament formation, the formation mechanism of the observed star-forming filaments requires clarification. In the present study, we perform a series of isothermal magnetohydrodynamics simulations of filament formation. We focus on the influences of shock velocity and turbulence on the formation mechanism and identified three different mechanisms for the filament formation. The results indicate that when the shock is fast, at shock velocity v_sh = 7 km/s, the gas flows driven by the curved shock wave create filaments irrespective of the presence of turbulence and self-gravity. However, at a slow shock velocity v_sh = 2.5 km/s, the compressive flow component involved in the initial turbulence induces filament formation. When both the shock velocities and turbulence are low, the self-gravity in the shock-compressed sheet becomes important for filament formation. Moreover, we analyzed the line-mass distribution of the filaments and showed that strong shock waves can naturally create high-line-mass filaments such as those observed in the massive star-forming regions in a short time. We conclude that the dominant filament formation mode changes with the velocity of the shock wave triggering the filament formation.

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arXiv2021

The JCMT Transient Survey: Four Year Summary of Monitoring the Submillimeter Variability of Protostars

We present the four-year survey results of monthly submillimeter monitoring of eight nearby ($< 500 $pc) star-forming regions by the JCMT Transient Survey. We apply the Lomb-Scargle Periodogram technique to search for and characterize variability on 295 submillimeter peaks brighter than 0.14 Jy beam$^{-1}$, including 22 disk sources (Class II), 83 protostars (Class 0/I), and 190 starless sources. We uncover 18 secular variables, all of them protostars. No single-epoch burst or drop events and no inherently stochastic sources are observed. We classify the secular variables by their timescales into three groups: Periodic, Curved, and Linear. For the Curved and Periodic cases, the detectable fractional amplitude, with respect to mean peak brightness, is $\sim4$ % for sources brighter than $\sim$ 0.5 Jy beam$^{-1}$. Limiting our sample to only these bright sources, the observed variable fraction is 37 % (16 out of 43). Considering source evolution, we find a similar fraction of bright variables for both Class 0 and Class I. Using an empirically motivated conversion from submillimeter variability to variation in mass accretion rate, six sources (7 % of our full sample) are predicted to have years-long accretion events during which the excess mass accreted reaches more than 40 % above the total quiescently accreted mass: two previously known eruptive Class I sources, V1647 Ori and EC 53 (V371 Ser), and four Class 0 sources, HOPS 356, HOPS 373, HOPS 383, and West 40. Considering the full protostellar ensemble, the importance of episodic accretion on few years timescale is negligible, only a few percent of the assembled mass. However, given that this accretion is dominated by events of order the observing time-window, it remains uncertain as to whether the importance of episodic events will continue to rise with decades-long monitoring.

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arXiv2021

Coagulation Instability in Protoplanetary Disks: A Novel Mechanism Connecting Collisional Growth and Hydrodynamical Clumping of Dust Particles

We present a new instability driven by a combination of coagulation and radial drift of dust particles. We refer to this instability as ``coagulation instability" and regard it as a promising mechanism to concentrate dust particles and assist planetesimal formation in the very early stages of disk evolution. Because of dust-density dependence of collisional coagulation efficiency, dust particles efficiently (inefficiently) grow in a region of positive (negative) dust density perturbations, which lead to a small radial variation of dust sizes and as a result radial velocity perturbations. The resultant velocity perturbations lead to dust concentration and amplify dust density perturbations. This positive feedback makes a disk unstable. The growth timescale of coagulation instability is a few tens of orbital periods even when dust-to-gas mass ratio is of the order of $10^{-3}$. In a protoplanetary disk, radial drift and coagulation of dust particles tend to result in dust depletion. The present instability locally concentrates dust particles even in such a dust-depleted region. The resulting concentration provides preferable sites for dust-gas instabilities to develop, which leads to further concentration. Dust diffusion and aerodynamical feedback tend to stabilize short-wavelength modes, but do not completely suppress the growth of coagulation instability. Therefore, coagulation instability is expected to play an important role in setting up the next stage for other instabilities to further develop toward planetesimal formation, such as streaming instability or secular gravitational instability.

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arXiv2021

SPH Simulations for Shape Deformation of Rubble-Pile Asteroids Through Spinup: The Challenge for Making Top-Shaped Asteroids Ryugu and Bennu

Asteroid Ryugu and asteroid Bennu, which were recently visited by spacecraft Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx, respectively, are spinning top-shaped rubble piles. Other axisymmetric top-shaped near-Earth asteroids have been observed with ground-based radar, most of which rotate near breakup rotation periods of ~ 3 hours. This suggests that rotation-induced deformation of asteroids through rotational spinup produces top shapes. Although some previous simulations using the Discrete Element Method showed that spinup of rubble piles may produce oblate top shapes, it is still unclear what kinds of conditions such as friction angles of constituent materials and spinup timescales are required for top-shape formation. Here we show, through Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics simulations of granular bodies spinning-up at different rates, that the rotation-induced deformation of spherical rubble piles before breakup can be classified into three modes according to the friction angle ϕ_{d}: quasi-static and internal deformation for ϕ_{d} < 40 degrees, dynamical and internal deformation for 50 degrees < ϕ_{d} < 60 degrees, and surface landslides for ϕ_{d} > 70 degrees. Note that these apparent large values of friction angle can be acceptable if we consider the effect of cohesion among blocks of a rubble pile under weak gravity. Bodies with ϕ_{d} < 60 degrees evolve into oblate spheroids through internal deformation, but never form pronounced equators defining a top shape. In contrast, bodies with ϕ_{d} > 70 degrees deform into axisymmetric top shapes through an axisymmetric surface landslides if spinup timescales are < a few days. In addition, through slow spinups with timescales > 1 month, bodies with ϕ_{d} > 70 degrees deform into non-axisymmetric shapes via localized landslides. We suggest that rapid spinup mechanisms are preferable for the formation of axisymmetric top shapes.

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arXiv2021

Two-component Magnetic Field along the Line of Sight to the Perseus Molecular Cloud: Contribution of the Foreground Taurus Molecular Cloud

Optical stellar polarimetry in the Perseus molecular cloud direction is known to show a fully mixed bi-modal distribution of position angles across the cloud (Goodman et al. 1990). We study the Gaia trigonometric distances to each of these stars and reveal that the two components in position angles trace two different dust clouds along the line of sight. One component, which shows a polarization angle of -37.6 deg +/- 35.2 deg and a higher polarization fraction of 2.0 +/- 1.7%, primarily traces the Perseus molecular cloud at a distance of 300 pc. The other component, which shows a polarization angle of +66.8 deg +/- 19.1 deg and a lower polarization fraction of 0.8 +/- 0.6%, traces a foreground cloud at a distance of 150 pc. The foreground cloud is faint, with a maximum visual extinction of < 1 mag. We identify that foreground cloud as the outer edge of the Taurus molecular cloud. Between the Perseus and Taurus molecular clouds, we identify a lower-density ellipsoidal dust cavity with a size of 100 -- 160 pc. This dust cavity locates at l = 170 deg, b = -20 deg, and d = 240 pc, which corresponds to an HI shell generally associated with the Per OB2 association. The two-component polarization signature observed toward the Perseus molecular cloud can therefore be explained by a combination of the plane-of-sky orientations of the magnetic field both at the front and at the back of this dust cavity.

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