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Zhi-Yun Li

Publications and source records attributed to Zhi-Yun Li.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources

Alignment Between Flattened Protostellar Infall Envelopes and Ambient Magnetic Fields

We present 350 micron polarization observations of four low-mass cores containing Class 0 protostars: L483, L1157, L1448-IRS2, and Serp-FIR1. This is the second paper in a larger survey aimed at testing magnetically regulated models for core-collapse. One key prediction of these models is that the mean magnetic field in a core should be aligned with the symmetry axis (minor axis) of the flattened YSO inner envelope (aka pseudodisk). Furthermore, the field should exhibit a pinched or hour-glass shaped morphology as gravity drags the field inward towards the central protostar. We combine our results for the four cores with results for three similar cores that were published in the first paper from our survey. An analysis of the 350 micron polarization data for the seven cores yields evidence of a positive correlation between mean field direction and pseudodisk symmetry axis. Our rough estimate for the probability of obtaining by pure chance a correlation as strong as the one we found is about 5%. In addition, we combine together data for multiple cores to create a source-averaged magnetic field map having improved signal-to-noise ratio, and this map shows good agreement between mean field direction and pseudodisk axis (they are within 15 degrees). We also see hints of a magnetic pinch in the source-averaged map. We conclude that core-scale magnetic fields appear to be strong enough to guide gas infall, as predicted by the magnetically regulated models. Finally, we find evidence of a positive correlation between core magnetic field direction and bipolar outflow axis.

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Does Magnetic Field-Rotation Misalignment Solve the Magnetic Braking Catastrophe in Protostellar Disk Formation?

Stars form in dense cores of molecular clouds that are observed to be significantly magnetized. In the simplest case of a laminar (non-turbulent) core with the magnetic field aligned with the rotation axis, both analytic considerations and numerical simulations have shown that the formation of a large, $10^2\au$-scale, rotationally supported protostellar disk is suppressed by magnetic braking in the ideal MHD limit for a realistic level of core magnetization. This theoretical difficulty in forming protostellar disks is termed "magnetic braking catastrophe". A possible resolution to this problem, proposed by \citeauthor{HennebelleCiardi2009} and \citeauthor{Joos+2012}, is that misalignment between the magnetic field and rotation axis may weaken the magnetic braking enough to enable disk formation. We evaluate this possibility quantitatively through numerical simulations. We confirm the basic result of \citeauthor{Joos+2012} that the misalignment is indeed conducive to disk formation. In relatively weakly magnetized cores with dimensionless mass-to-flux ratio $\gtrsim 5$, it enabled the formation of rotationally supported disks that would otherwise be suppressed if the magnetic field and rotation axis are aligned. For more strongly magnetized cores, disk formation remains suppressed, however, even for the maximum tilt angle of $90\degree$. If dense cores are as strongly magnetized as indicated by OH Zeeman observations (with a mean dimensionless mass-to-flux ratio $\sim 2$), it would be difficult for the misalignment alone to enable disk formation in the majority of them. We conclude that, while beneficial to disk formation, especially for the relatively weak field case, the misalignment does not completely solve the problem of catastrophic magnetic braking in general.

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Orbital and Mass Ratio Evolution of Protobinaries Driven by Magnetic Braking

The majority of stars reside in multiple systems, especially binaries. The formation and early evolution of binaries is a longstanding problem in star formation that is not fully understood. In particular, how the magnetic field observed in star-forming cores shapes the binary characteristics remains relatively unexplored. We demonstrate numerically, using the ENZO-MHD code, that a magnetic field of the observed strength can drastically change two of the basic quantities of a binary system: the orbital separation and mass ratio of the two components. Our calculations focus on the protostellar mass accretion phase, after a pair of stellar 'seeds' have already formed. We find that, in dense cores magnetized to a realistic level, the angular momentum of the gas accreted by the protobinary is greatly reduced by magnetic braking. Accretion of strongly braked material shrinks the protobinary separation by a large factor compared to the non-magnetic case. The magnetic braking also changes the evolution of the mass ratio of unequal-mass protobinaries by producing gas of low specific angular momentum that accretes preferentially onto the primary rather than the secondary. This is in contrast with the preferential mass accretion onto the secondary previously found for protobinaries accreting from an unmagnetized envelope, which tends to drive the mass ratio towards unity. In addition, the magnetic field greatly modifies the morphology and dynamics of the protobinary accretion flow. It suppresses the circumstellar and circumbinary disks that feed the protobinary in the non-magnetic case; the binary is fed instead by a fast collapsing pseudodisk whose rotation is strongly braked. The magnetic braking-driven inward migration of binaries from their birth locations may be constrained by high-resolution observations of the orbital distribution of deeply embedded protobinaries, especially with ALMA.

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Present-Day Star Formation: Protostellar Outflows and Clustered Star Formation

Stars form predominantly in clusters inside dense clumps of turbulent, magnetized molecular clouds. The typical size and mass of the cluster-forming clumps are \sim 1 pc and \sim 10^2 - 10^3 M_\odot, respectively. Here, we discuss some recent progress on theoretical and observational studies of clustered star formation in such parsec-scale clumps with emphasis on the role of protostellar outflow feedback. Recent simulations indicate that protostellar outflow feedback can maintain supersonic turbulence in a cluster-forming clump, and the clump can keep a virial equilibrium long after the initial turbulence has decayed away. In the clumps, star formation proceeds relatively slowly; it continues for at least several global free-fall times of the parent dense clump (t_{ff}\sim a few x 10^5 yr). The most massive star in the clump is formed at the bottom of the clump gravitational potential well at later times through the filamentary mass accretion streams that are broken up by the outflows from low-mass cluster members. Observations of molecular outflows in nearby cluster-forming clumps appear to support the outflow-regulated cluster formation model.

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Fragmentation and OB Star Formation in High-Mass Molecular Hub-Filament System

Filamentary structures are ubiquitously seen in the interstellar medium. The concentrated molecular mass in the filaments allows fragmentation to occur in a shorter timescale than the timescale of the global collapse. Such hierarchical fragmentation may further assist the dissipation of excessive angular momentum. It is crucial to resolve the morphology and the internal velocity structures of the molecular filaments observationally. We perform 0".5-2".5 angular resolution interferometric observations toward the nearly face-on OB cluster forming region G33.92+0.11. Observations of various spectral lines as well as the millimeter dust continuum emission, consistently trace several $\sim$1 pc scale, clumpy molecular arms. Some of the molecular arms geometrically merge to an inner 3.0$^{\scriptsize{+2.8}}_{-\scriptsize{1.4}}\cdot10^{3}$\,$M_{\odot}$, 0.6 pc scale central molecular clump, and may directly channel the molecular gas to the warm ($\sim$50 K) molecular gas immediately surrounding the centrally embedded OB stars. The NH$_{3}$ spectra suggest a medium turbulence line width of FWHM$\lesssim$2\,km\,s$^{-1}$ in the central molecular clump, implying a $\gtrsim$10 times larger molecular mass than the virial mass. Feedbacks from shocks and the centrally embedded OB stars and localized (proto)stellar clusters, likely play a key role in the heating of molecular gas and could lead to the observed chemical stratification. Although (proto)stellar feedbacks are already present, G33.92+0.11 chemically appears to be at an early evolutionary stage given by the low abundance limit of SO$_{2}$ observed in this region.

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Protostellar Accretion Flows Destabilized by Magnetic Flux Redistribution

Magnetic flux redistribution lies at the heart of the problem of star formation in dense cores of molecular clouds that are magnetized to a realistic level. If all of the magnetic flux of a typical core were to be dragged into the central star, the stellar field strength would be orders of magnitude higher than the observed values. This well-known "magnetic flux problem" can in principle be resolved through non-ideal MHD effects. Two dimensional (axisymmetric) calculations have shown that ambipolar diffusion, in particular, can transport magnetic flux outward relative to matter, allowing material to enter the central object without dragging the field lines along. We show through simulations that such axisymmetric protostellar accretion flows are unstable in three dimensions to magnetic interchange instability in the azimuthal direction. The instability is driven by the magnetic flux redistributed from the matter that enters the central object. It typically starts to develop during the transition from the prestellar phase of star formation to the protostellar mass accretion phase. In the latter phase, the magnetic flux is transported outward mainly through advection, by strongly magnetized low-density regions that expand against the collapsing inflow. The tussle between the gravity-driven infall and magnetically driven expansion leads to a filamentary inner accretion flow, more disordered than previously pictured. The efficient outward transport of magnetic flux by advection lowers the field strength at small radii, making the magnetic braking less efficient and the formation of rotationally supported disks easier in principle. However, we find no evidence for such disks in any of our rotating collapse simulations. We conclude that the inner protostellar accretion flow is shaped to a large extent by this magnetic interchange instability. How disks form in such an environment is unclear.

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Evidence For Cloud-Cloud Collision and Parsec-Scale Stellar Feedback Within the L1641-N Region

We present high spatial resolution $^{12}$CO ($J=1-0$) images taken by the Nobeyama 45m telescope toward a $48' \times 48'$ area including the L1641-N cluster. The effective spatial resolution of the maps is $21"$, corresponding to 0.04 pc at a distance of 400 pc. A recent 1.1 mm dust continuum map reveals that the dense gas is concentrated in several thin filaments. We find that a few dust filaments are located at the parts where $^{12}$CO ($J=1-0$) emission drops sharply. Furthermore, the filaments have two-components with different velocities. The velocity difference between the two-components is about 3 km s$^{-1}$, corresponding to a Mach number of 10, significantly larger than the local turbulent velocity in the cloud. These facts imply that the collision of the two components (hereafter, the cloud-cloud collision) possibly contributed to the formation of these filaments. Since the two components appear to overlap toward the filaments on the plane of the sky, the collision may have occurred almost along the line of sight. Star formation in the L1641-N cluster was probably triggered by such a collision. We also find several parsec-scale CO shells whose centers are close to either the L1641-N cluster or V 380 Ori cluster. We propose that these shells were created by multiple winds and/or outflows from cluster YSOs, i.e., "protocluster winds." One exceptional dust filament located at the western cloud edge lies along a shell; it is presumably a part of the expanding shell. Both the cloud-cloud collision and protocluster winds are likely to influence the cloud structure and kinematics in this region.

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The Origin of OB Clusters: From 10 pc to 0.1 pc

We observe the 1.2 mm continuum emission around the OB cluster forming region G10.6-0.4, using the IRAM 30m telescope MAMBO-2 bolometer array and the Submillimeter array. Comparison of the Spitzer 24 $μ$m and 8 $μ$m images with our 1.2 mm continuum maps reveals the ionization front of an HII region, the photon-dominated layer, and several 5 pc scale filaments following the outer edge of the photon-dominated layer. The filaments, which are resolved in the MAMBO-2 observations, show regularly spaced parsec-scale molecular clumps, embedded with a cluster of submillimeter molecular cores as shown in the SMA 0.87 mm observations. Toward the center of the G10.6-0.4 region, the combined SMA+IRAM 30m continuum image reveals several, parsec-scale protrusions. They may continue down to within 0.1 pc of the geometric center of a dense 3 pc size structure, where a 200 M$_{\odot}$ OB cluster resides. The observed filaments may facilitate mass accretion onto the central cluster--forming region in the presence of strong radiative and mechanical stellar feedbacks. Their filamentary geometry may also facilitate fragmentation. We did not detect any significant polarized emission at 0.87 mm in the inner 1 pc region with the SMA.

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Clustered Star Formation in Magnetic Clouds: Properties of Dense Cores Formed in Outflow-Driven Turbulence

We investigate the physical properties of dense cores formed in turbulent, magnetized, parsec-scale clumps of molecular clouds, using three-dimensional numerical simulations that include protostellar outflow feedback. The dense cores are identified in the simulated density data cube through a clumpfind algorithm. We find that the core velocity dispersion does not show any clear dependence on the core size, in contrast to Larson's linewidth-size relation, but consistent with recent observations. In the absence of a magnetic field, the majority of the cores have supersonic velocity dispersions. A moderately-strong magnetic field reduces the dispersion to a subsonic or at most transonic value typically. Most of the cores are out of virial equilibrium, with the external pressure dominating the self-gravity. The implication is that the core evolution is largely controlled by the outflow-driven turbulence. Even an initially-weak magnetic field can retard star formation significantly, because the field is amplified by the outflow-driven turbulence to an equipartition strength, with the distorted field component dominating the uniform one. In contrast, for a moderately-strong field, the uniform component remains dominant. Such a difference in the magnetic structure is evident in our simulated polarization maps of dust thermal emission; it provides a handle on the field strength. Recent polarization measurements show that the field lines in cluster-forming clumps are spatially well-ordered. It is indicative of a moderately-strong, dynamically important, field which, in combination with outflow feedback, can keep the rate of star formation in embedded clusters at the observationally-inferred, relatively-slow rate of several percent per free-fall time.

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Nonideal MHD Effects and Magnetic Braking Catastrophe in Protostellar Disk Formation

Dense, star-forming, cores of molecular clouds are observed to be significantly magnetized. A realistic magnetic field of moderate strength has been shown to suppress, through catastrophic magnetic braking, the formation of a rotationally supported disk during the protostellar accretion phase of low-mass star formation in the ideal MHD limit. We address, through 2D (axisymmetric) simulations, the question of whether realistic levels of nonideal effects, computed with a simplified chemical network including dust grains, can weaken the magnetic braking enough to enable a rotationally supported disk to form. We find that ambipolar diffusion, the dominant nonideal MHD effect over most of the density range relevant to disk formation, does not enable disk formation, at least in 2D. The reason is that ambipolar diffusion allows the magnetic flux that would be dragged into the central stellar object in the ideal MHD limit to pile up instead in a small circumstellar region, where the magnetic field strength (and thus the braking efficiency) is greatly enhanced. We also find that, on the scale of tens of AU or more, a realistic level of Ohmic dissipation does not weaken the magnetic braking enough for a rotationally supported disk to form, either by itself or in combination with ambipolar diffusion. The Hall effect, the least explored of these three nonideal MHD effects, can spin up the material close to the central object to a significant, supersonic rotation speed, even when the core is initially non-rotating, although the spun-up material remains too sub-Keplerian to form a rotationally supported disk. The problem of catastrophic magnetic braking that prevents disk formation in dense cores magnetized to realistic levels remains unresolved. Possible resolutions of this problem are discussed.

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Magnetic Flux Expulsion in Star Formation

Stars form in dense cores of magnetized molecular clouds. If the magnetic flux threading the cores is dragged into the stars, the stellar field would be orders of magnitude stronger than observed. This well-known "magnetic flux problem" demands that most of the core magnetic flux be decoupled from the matter that enters the star. We carry out the first exploration of what happens to the decoupled magnetic flux in 3D, using an MHD version of the ENZO adaptive mesh refinement code. The field-matter decoupling is achieved through a sink particle treatment, which is needed to follow the protostellar accretion phase of star formation. We find that the accumulation of the decoupled flux near the accreting protostar leads to a magnetic pressure buildup. The high pressure is released anisotropically, along the path of least resistance. It drives a low-density expanding region in which the decoupled magnetic flux is expelled. This decoupling-enabled magnetic structure has never been seen before in 3D MHD simulations of star formation. It generates a strong asymmetry in the protostellar accretion flow, potentially giving a kick to the star. In the presence of an initial core rotation, the structure presents an obstacle to the formation of a rotationally supported disk, in addition to magnetic braking, by acting as a rigid magnetic wall that prevents the rotating gas from completing a full orbit around the central object. We conclude that the decoupled magnetic flux from the stellar matter can strongly affect the protostellar collapse dynamics.

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Disk Formation in Magnetized Clouds Enabled by the Hall Effect

Stars form in dense cores of molecular clouds that are observed to be significantly magnetized. A dynamically important magnetic field presents a significant obstacle to the formation of protostellar disks. Recent studies have shown that magnetic braking is strong enough to suppress the formation of rotationally supported disks in the ideal MHD limit. Whether non-ideal MHD effects can enable disk formation remains unsettled. We carry out a first study on how disk formation in magnetic clouds is modified by the Hall effect, the least explored of the three non-ideal MHD effects in star formation (the other two being ambipolar diffusion and Ohmic dissipation). For illustrative purposes, we consider a simplified problem of a non-self-gravitating, magnetized envelope collapsing onto a central protostar of fixed mass. We find that the Hall effect can spin up the inner part of the collapsing flow to Keplerian speed, producing a rotationally supported disk. The disk is generated through a Hall-induced magnetic torque. Disk formation occurs even when the envelope is initially non-rotating, provided that the Hall coefficient is large enough. When the magnetic field orientation is flipped, the direction of disk rotation is reversed as well. The implication is that the Hall effect can in principle produce both regularly rotating and counter-rotating disks around protostars. We conclude that the Hall effect is an important factor to consider in studying the angular momentum evolution of magnetized star formation in general and disk formation in particular.

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Hot Jupiter Magnetospheres

(Abridged) The upper atmospheres of close-in gas giant exoplanets are subjected to intense heating/tidal forces from their parent stars. Atomic/ionized hydrogen (H) layers are sufficiently rarefied that magnetic pressure may dominate gas pressure for expected planetary magnetic field strength. We examine the magnetospheric structure using a 3D isothermal magnetohydrodynamic model that includes: a static "dead zone" near the magnetic equator containing magnetically confined gas; a "wind zone" outside the magnetic equator in which thermal pressure gradients and the magneto-centrifugal-tidal effect give rise to transonic outflow; and a region near the poles where sufficiently strong tidal forces may suppress transonic outflow. Using dipole field geometry, we estimate the size of the dead zone to be ~1-10 planetary radii for a range of parameters. To understand appropriate base conditions for the 3D isothermal model, we compute a 1D thermal model in which photoelectric heating from the stellar Lyman continuum is balanced by collisionally-excited Lyman α cooling. This 1D model exhibits a H layer with temperatures T=5000-10000K down to pressures of 10-100 nbar. Using the 3D isothermal model, we compute H column densities and Lyman α transmission spectra for parameters appropriate to HD 209458b. Line-integrated transit depths of 5-10% can be achieved for the above base conditions. Strong magnetic fields increase the transit signal while decreasing the mass loss, due to higher covering fraction and density of the dead zone. In our model, most of the transit signal arises from magnetically confined gas, some of which may be outside the L1 equipotential. Hence the presence of gas outside the L1 equipotential does not directly imply mass loss. Lastly, we discuss the domain of applicability for the magnetic wind model described in this paper and in the Roche-lobe overflow model.

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The Molecular Outflows in the rho Ophiuchi Main Cloud: Implications For Turbulence Generation

We present the results of CO (J=3-2) and CO (J=1-0) mapping observations toward the active cluster forming clump, L1688, in the rho Ophiuchi molecular cloud. From the CO (J=3-2) and CO (J=1-0) data cubes, we identify five outflows, whose driving sources are VLA 1623, EL 32, LFAM 26, EL 29, and IRS 44. Among the identified outflows, the most luminous outflow is the one from the prototypical Class 0 source, VLA 1623. We also discover that the EL 32 outflow located in the Oph B2 region has very extended blueshifted and redshifted lobes with wide opening angles. This outflow is most massive and have the largest momentum among the identified outflows in the CO (J=1-0) map. We estimate the total energy injection rate due to the molecular outflows identified by the present and previous studies to be about 0.2 L_solar, larger than or at least comparable to the turbulence dissipation rate [~(0.03 - 0.1) L_solar]. Therefore, we conclude that the protostellar outflows are likely to play a significant role in replenishing the supersonic turbulence in this clump.

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Theory of Cluster Formation: Effects of Magnetic Fields

Stars form predominantly in clusters inside dense clumps of molecular clouds that are both turbulent and magnetized. The typical size and mass of the cluster-forming clumps are $\sim 1$ pc and $\sim 10^2 - $ 10$^3$ M$_\odot$, respectively. Here, we discuss some recent progress on numerical simulations of clustered star formation in such parsec-scale dense clumps with emphasis on the role of magnetic fields. The simulations have shown that magnetic fields tend to slow down global gravitational collapse and thus star formation, especially in the presence of protostellar outflow feedback. Even a relatively weak can retard star formation significantly, because the field is amplified by supersonic turbulence to an equipartition strength. However, in such a case, the distorted field component dominates the uniform one. In contrast, if the field is moderately strong, the uniform component remains dominant. Such a difference in the magnetic structure is observed in simulated polarization maps of dust thermal emission. Recent polarization measurements show that the field lines in nearby cluster-forming clumps are spatially well-ordered, indicative of a rather strong field. In such strongly-magnetized clumps, star formation should proceed relatively slowly; it continues for at least several global free-fall times of the parent dense clump ($t_{\rm ff}\sim $ a few $\times 10^5$ yr).

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Lowering the Characteristic Mass of Cluster Stars by Magnetic Fields and Outflow Feedback

Magnetic fields are generally expected to increase the characteristic mass of stars formed in stellar clusters, because they tend to increase the effective Jeans mass. We test this expectation using adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) magnetohydrodynamic simulations of cluster formation in turbulent magnetized clumps of molecular clouds, treating stars as accreting sink particles. We find that, contrary to the common expectation, a magnetic field of strength in the observed range decreases, rather than increases, the characteristic stellar mass. It (1) reduces the number of intermediate-mass stars that are formed through direct turbulent compression, because sub-regions of the clump with masses comparable to those of stars are typically magnetically subcritical and cannot be compressed directly into collapse, and (2) increases the number of low-mass stars that are produced from the fragmentation of dense filaments. The filaments result from mass accumulation along the field lines. In order to become magnetically supercritical and fragment, the filament must accumulate a large enough column density (proportional to the field strength), which yields a high volume density (and thus a small thermal Jeans mass) that is conducive to forming low-mass stars. We find, in addition, that the characteristic stellar mass is reduced further by outflow feedback. The conclusion is that both magnetic fields and outflow feedback are important in shaping the stellar initial mass function (IMF).

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Disk Formation Enabled by Enhanced Resistivity

Disk formation in magnetized cloud cores is hindered by magnetic braking. Previous work has shown that for realistic levels of core magnetization, the magnetic field suppresses the formation of rotationally supported disks during the protostellar mass accretion phase of low-mass star formation both in the ideal MHD limit and in the presence of ambipolar diffusion for typical rates of cosmic ray ionization. Additional effects, such as ohmic dissipation, the Hall effect, and protostellar outflow, are needed to weaken the magnetic braking and enable the formation of persistent, rotationally supported, protostellar disks. In this paper, we first demonstrate that the classic microscopic resistivity is not large enough to enable disk formation by itself. We then experiment with a set of enhanced values for the resistivity in the range $η=10^{17}$--$10^{22}$ cm^2/s. We find that a value of order $10^{19}$ cm^2/s is needed to enable the formation of a 100 AU-scale Keplerian disk; the value depends somewhat on the degree of core magnetization. The required resistivity is a few orders of magnitude larger than the classic microscopic values. Whether it can be achieved naturally during protostellar collapse remains to be determined.

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Outflow Feedback Regulated Massive Star Formation in Parsec-Scale Cluster Forming Clumps

(Abridged) We investigate massive star formation in turbulent, magnetized, parsec-scale clumps of molecular clouds including protostellar outflow feedback using Enzo-based MHD simulations with accreting sink particles and effective resolution $2048^3$. We find that, in the absence of regulation by magnetic fields and outflow feedback, massive stars form readily in a turbulent, moderately condensed clump of $\sim 1,600$ solar masses, along with a cluster of hundreds of lower mass stars. The massive stars are fed at high rates by (1) transient dense filaments produced by large-scale turbulent compression at early times, and (2) by the clump-wide global collapse resulting from turbulence decay at late times. In both cases, the bulk of the massive star's mass is supplied from outside a 0.1 pc-sized "core" that surrounds the star. In our simulation, the massive star is clump-fed rather than core-fed. The need for large-scale feeding makes the massive star formation prone to regulation by outflow feedback, which directly opposes the feeding processes. The outflows reduce the mass accretion rates onto the massive stars by breaking up the dense filaments that feed the massive star formation at early times, and by collectively slowing down the global collapse that fuel the massive star formation at late times. The latter is aided by a moderate magnetic field of strength in the observed range. We conclude that the massive star formation in our simulated turbulent, magnetized, parsec-scale clump is outflow-regulated and clump-fed (ORCF for short). An important implication is that the formation of low-mass stars in a dense clump can affect the formation of massive stars in the same clump, through their outflow feedback on the clump dynamics.

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