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At least 1,207 records · Page 67
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DOE OSTI2013

He I VECTOR MAGNETOMETRY OF FIELD-ALIGNED SUPERPENUMBRAL FIBRILS

Atomic-level polarization and Zeeman effect diagnostics in the neutral helium triplet at 10830 A in principle allow full vector magnetometry of fine-scaled chromospheric fibrils. We present high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of superpenumbral fibrils in the He I triplet with sufficient polarimetric sensitivity to infer their full magnetic field geometry. He I observations from the Facility Infrared Spectropolarimeter are paired with high-resolution observations of the H{alpha} 6563 A and Ca II 8542 A spectral lines from the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer from the Dunn Solar Telescope in New Mexico. Linear and circular polarization signatures in the He I triplet are measured and described, as well as analyzed with the advanced inversion capability of the ''Hanle and Zeeman Light'' modeling code. Our analysis provides direct evidence for the often assumed field alignment of fibril structures. The projected angle of the fibrils and the inferred magnetic field geometry align within an error of {+-}10 Degree-Sign . We describe changes in the inclination angle of these features that reflect their connectivity with the photospheric magnetic field. Evidence for an accelerated flow ({approx}40 m s{sup -2}) along an individual fibril anchored at its endpoints in the strong sunspot and weaker plage in part supports the magnetic siphon flow mechanism's role in the inverse Evershed effect. However, the connectivity of the outer endpoint of many of the fibrils cannot be established.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

STAR FORMATION RATES IN RESOLVED GALAXIES: CALIBRATIONS WITH NEAR- AND FAR-INFRARED DATA FOR NGC 5055 AND NGC 6946

We use the near-infrared Br{gamma} hydrogen recombination line as a reference star formation rate (SFR) indicator to test the validity and establish the calibration of the Herschel/PACS 70 {mu}m emission as a SFR tracer for sub-galactic regions in external galaxies. Br{gamma} offers the double advantage of directly tracing ionizing photons and of being relatively insensitive to the effects of dust attenuation. For our first experiment, we use archival Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Br{gamma} and Ks images of two nearby galaxies: NGC 5055 and NGC 6946, which are also part of the Herschel program KINGFISH (Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: a Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel). We use the extinction corrected Br{gamma} emission to derive the SFR(70) calibration for H II regions in these two galaxies. A comparison of the SFR(70) calibrations at different spatial scales, from 200 pc to the size of the whole galaxy, reveals that about 50% of the total 70 {mu}m emission is due to dust heated by stellar populations that are unrelated to the current star formation. We use a simple model to qualitatively relate the increase of the SFR(70) calibration coefficient with decreasing region size to the star formation timescale. We provide a calibration for an unbiased SFR indicator that combines the observed H{alpha} with the 70 {mu}m emission, also for use in H II regions. We briefly analyze the PACS 100 and 160 {mu}m maps and find that longer wavelengths are not as good SFR indicators as 70 {mu}m, in agreement with previous results. We find that the calibrations show about 50% difference between the two galaxies, possibly due to effects of inclination.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE NOT-SO-MASSIVE BLACK HOLE IN THE MICROQUASAR GRS1915+105

We present a new dynamical study of the black hole X-ray transient GRS1915+105 making use of near-infrared spectroscopy obtained with X-shooter at the Very Large Telescope. We detect a large number of donor star absorption features across a wide range of wavelengths spanning the H and K bands. Our 24 epochs covering a baseline of over 1 yr permit us to determine a new binary ephemeris including a refined orbital period of P = 33.85 {+-} 0.16 days. The donor star radial velocity curves deliver a significantly improved determination of the donor semi-amplitude which is both accurate (K{sub 2} = 126 {+-} 1 km s{sup -1}) and robust against choice of donor star template and spectral features used. We furthermore constrain the donor star's rotational broadening to vsin i = 21 {+-} 4 km s{sup -1}, delivering a binary mass ratio of q = 0.042 {+-} 0.024. If we combine these new constraints with distance and inclination estimates derived from modeling the radio emission, a black hole mass of M{sub BH} = 10.1 {+-} 0.6 M{sub Sun} is inferred, paired with an evolved mass donor of M{sub 2} = 0.47 {+-} 0.27 M{sub Sun }. Our analysis suggests a more typical black hole mass for GRS1915+105 rather than the unusually high values derived in the pioneering dynamical study by Greiner et al. Our data demonstrate that high-resolution infrared spectroscopy of obscured accreting binaries can deliver dynamical mass determinations with a precision on par with optical studies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

X-RAY SPECTRA FROM MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS OF ACCRETING BLACK HOLES

We present the results of a new global radiation transport code coupled to a general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulation of an accreting, non-rotating black hole. For the first time, we are able to explain from first principles in a self-consistent way all the components seen in the X-ray spectra of stellar-mass black holes, including a thermal peak and all the features associated with strong hard X-ray emission: a power law extending to high energies, a Compton reflection hump, and a broad iron line. Varying only the mass accretion rate, we are able to reproduce a wide range of X-ray states seen in most galactic black hole sources. The temperature in the corona is T{sub e} {approx} 10 keV in a boundary layer near the disk and rises smoothly to T{sub e} {approx}> 100 keV in low-density regions far above the disk. Even as the disk's reflection edge varies from the horizon out to Almost-Equal-To 6M as the accretion rate decreases, we find that the shape of the Fe K{alpha} line is remarkably constant. This is because photons emitted from the plunging region are strongly beamed into the horizon and never reach the observer. We have also carried out a basic timing analysis of the spectra and find that the fractional variability increases with photon energy and viewer inclination angle, consistent with the coronal hot spot model for X-ray fluctuations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A NEW PROBE OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF DARK MATTER IN GALAXIES

The scale radius of dark matter halos is a critical parameter for specifying the density distribution of dark matter, and is therefore a fundamental parameter for modeling galaxies. We develop here a novel, observationally motivated probe to quantitatively infer its value within the context of the Navarro, Frenk, and White profile. We demonstrate that disturbances in the extended atomic hydrogen gas disks of galaxies can be analyzed to infer the scale radius of the dark matter halo. Our primary metric is the phase (i.e., the shape of the spiral) of the m = 1 mode of the disturbance in the outskirts of the gas disk, which we take to be produced by a tidal interaction. We apply the method to the Whirlpool galaxy, which has an optically visible satellite. We infer a scale radius of {approx}17 kpc for M51, which is consistent with expectations from dissipationless cosmological simulations. We explore potential degeneracies due to orbital inclination, initial conditions, satellite mass, and pericenter approach distance, and find our results to be relatively insensitive to these considerations. Our method of tracing the dark potential well through observed disturbances in outer gas disks is complementary to gravitational lensing.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

VERY LONG BASELINE ARRAY MULTI-FREQUENCY POLARIMETRIC IMAGING OF RADIO-LOUD BROAD ABSORPTION LINE QUASARS

We conducted the first multi-frequency polarimetric imaging of four broad absorption line (BAL) quasars using the Very Long Baseline Array at milliarcsecond resolutions to investigate the inclination of the nonthermal jet and test the hypothesis that radio sources in BAL quasars are still young. Among these four sources, J0928+446, J1018+0530, and J1405+4056 show one-sided structures in parsec scales and polarized emission detected in the core. These characteristics are consistent with those of blazars. We set constraints on viewing angles to <66 Degree-Sign for these jets in the framework of a Doppler beaming effect. J1159+0112 exhibits an unpolarized gigahertz-peaked spectrum component and several discrete blobs with steep spectra on both sides of the central component across {approx}1 kpc. These properties are consistent with those of young radio sources. We discuss the structures of jets and active galactic nucleus wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

FULL SPECTRAL SURVEY OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI IN THE ROSSI X-RAY TIMING EXPLORER ARCHIVE

We have analyzed spectra for all active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer archive. We present long-term average values of absorption, Fe line equivalent width (EW), Compton reflection, and photon index, and calculate fluxes and luminosities in the 2-10 keV band for 100 AGN with sufficient brightness and overall observation time to yield high-quality spectral results. We compare these parameters across the different classifications of Seyferts and blazars. Our distributions of photon indices for Seyfert 1s and 2s are consistent with the idea that Seyferts share a common central engine; however, our distributions of Compton reflection hump strengths do not support the classical picture of absorption by a torus and reflection off a Compton-thick disk with type depending only on inclination angle. We conclude that a more complex reflecting geometry such as a combined disk and torus or clumpy torus is likely a more accurate picture of the Compton-thick material. We find that Compton reflection is present in {approx}85% of Seyferts and by comparing Fe line EW's to Compton reflection hump strengths we have found that on average 40% of the Fe line arises in Compton thick material; however, this ratio was not consistent from object to object and did not seem to be dependent on optical classification.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

MULTIWAVELENGTH PHOTOMETRY AND HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SPECTROSCOPY OF THE OLD NOVA V842 CENTAURUS

We present ground-based optical and near infrared photometric observations and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) COS spectroscopic observations of the old nova V842 Cen (Nova Cen 1986). Analysis of the optical light curves reveals a peak at 56.5 {+-} 0.3 s with an amplitude of 8.9 {+-} 4.2 mma, which is consistent with the rotation of a magnetic white dwarf primary in V842 Cen that was detected earlier by Woudt et al., and led to its classification as an intermediate polar. However, our UV lightcurve created from the COS time-tag spectra does not show this periodicity. Our synthetic spectral analysis of an HST COS spectrum rules out a hot white dwarf photosphere as the source of the FUV flux. The best-fitting model to the COS spectrum is a full optically thick accretion disk with no magnetic truncation, a low disk inclination angle, low accretion rate and a distance less than half the published distance that was determined on the basis of interstellar sodium D line strengths. Truncated accretion disks with truncation radii of 3 R{sub wd} and 5 R{sub wd} yielded unsatisfactory agreement with the COS data. The accretion rate is unexpectedly low for a classical nova only 24 yr after the explosion when the accretion rate is expected to be high and the white dwarf should still be very hot, especially if irradiation of the donor star took place. Our low accretion rate is consistent with those derived from X-ray and ground-based optical data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

AN X-RAY VIEW OF THE JET CYCLE IN THE RADIO-LOUD AGN 3C120

We present a study of the central engine in the broad-line radio galaxy 3C120 using a multi-epoch analysis of a deep XMM-Newton observation and two deep Suzaku pointings (in 2012). In order to place our spectral data into the context of the disk-disruption/jet-ejection cycles displayed by this object, we monitor the source in the UV/X-ray bands, and in the radio band. We find three statistically acceptable spectral models: a disk-reflection model, a jet model, and a jet+disk model. Despite being good descriptions of the data, the disk-reflection model violates the radio constraints on the inclination, and the jet model has a fine-tuning problem, requiring a jet contribution exceeding that expected. Thus, we argue for a composite jet+disk model. Within the context of this model, we verify the basic predictions of the jet-cycle paradigm, finding a truncated/refilling disk during the Suzaku observations and a complete disk extending down to the innermost stable circular orbit during the XMM-Newton observation. The idea of a refilling disk is further supported by the detection of the ejection of a new jet knot approximately one month after the Suzaku pointings. We also discover a step-like event in one of the Suzaku pointings in which the soft band lags the hard band. We suggest that we are witnessing the propagation of a disturbance from the disk into the jet on a timescale set by the magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

VARIABILITY SURVEY IN THE CoRoT SRa01 FIELD: IMPLICATIONS OF ECLIPSING BINARY DISTRIBUTION ON CLUSTER FORMATION IN NGC 2264

Time-series photometry of the CoRoT field SRa01 was carried out with the Berlin Exoplanet Search Telescope II in 2008/2009. A total of 1161 variable stars were detected, of which 241 were previously known and 920 are newly found. Several new, variable young stellar objects have been discovered. The study of the spatial distribution of eclipsing binaries revealed the higher relative frequency of Algols toward the center of the young open cluster NGC 2264. In general Algol frequency obeys an isotropic distribution of their angular momentum vectors, except inside the cluster, where a specific orientation of the inclinations is the case. We suggest that we see the orbital plane of the binaries almost edge-on.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE OPTICAL COMPANION TO THE INTERMEDIATE-MASS MILLISECOND PULSAR J1439-5501 IN THE GALACTIC FIELD

We present the identification of the companion star to the intermediate-mass binary pulsar (PSR) J1439-5501 obtained by means of ground-based deep images in the B, V, and I bands, acquired with FORS2 mounted at the European Southern Observatory (ESO)-Very Large Telescope (VLT). The companion is a massive white dwarf (WD) with B = 23.57 {+-} 0.02, V = 23.21 {+-} 0.01, and I = 22.96 {+-} 0.01, located at only {approx}0.''05 from the pulsar radio position. Comparing the WD location in the (B, B-V) and (V, V-I) color-magnitude diagrams with theoretical cooling sequences, we derived a range of plausible combinations of companion masses (1 M{sub Sun} {approx}< M{sub COM} {approx}< 1.3 M{sub Sun }), distances (d {approx}< 1200 pc), radii ({approx}< 7.810{sup -3} R{sub Sun }), and temperatures (T=31350{sup +21500}{sub -7400}). From the PSR mass function and the estimated mass range we also constrained the inclination angle i {approx}> 55 Degree-Sign and the pulsar mass (M{sub PSR} {approx}< 2.2 M{sub Sun }). The comparison between the WD cooling age and the spin-down age suggests that the latter is overestimated by a factor of about 10.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

OBSERVATION OF A MORETON WAVE AND WAVE-FILAMENT INTERACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RENOWNED X9 FLARE ON 1990 MAY 24

Using Big Bear Solar Observatory film data recently digitized at NJIT, we investigate a Moreton wave associated with an X9 flare on 1990 May 24, as well as its interactions with four filaments F1-F4 located close to the flaring region. The interaction yields interesting insight into physical properties of both the wave and the filaments. The first clear Moreton wavefront appears at the flaring-region periphery at approximately the same time as the peak of a microwave burst and the first of two {gamma}-ray peaks. The wavefront propagates at different speeds ranging from 1500-2600 km s{sup -1} in different directions, reaching as far as 600 Mm away from the flaring site. Sequential chromospheric brightenings are observed ahead of the Moreton wavefront. A slower diffuse front at 300-600 km s{sup -1} is observed to trail the fast Moreton wavefront about one minute after the onset. The Moreton wave decelerates to {approx}550 km s{sup -1} as it sweeps through F1. The wave passage results in F1's oscillation which is featured by {approx}1 mHz signals with coherent Fourier phases over the filament, the activation of F3 and F4 followed by gradual recovery, but no disturbance in F2. Different height and magnetic environment together may account for the distinct responses of the filaments to the wave passage. The wavefront bulges at F4, whose spine is oriented perpendicular to the upcoming wavefront. The deformation of the wavefront is suggested to be due to both the forward inclination of the wavefront and the enhancement of the local Alfven speed within the filament channel.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

A FLUX ROPE NETWORK AND PARTICLE ACCELERATION IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL RELATIVISTIC MAGNETIC RECONNECTION

We investigate magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in relativistic pair plasmas with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of a kinetic-scale current sheet in a periodic geometry. We include a guide field that introduces an inclination between the reconnecting field lines and explore outside-of-the-current sheet magnetizations that are significantly below those considered by other authors carrying out similar calculations. Thus, our simulations probe the transitional regime in which the magnetic and plasma pressures are of the same order of magnitude. The tearing instability is the dominant mode in the current sheet for all guide field strengths, while the linear kink mode is less important even without the guide field, except in the lower magnetization case. Oblique modes seem to be suppressed entirely. In its nonlinear evolution, the reconnection layer develops a network of interconnected and interacting magnetic flux ropes. As smaller flux ropes merge into larger ones, the reconnection layer evolves toward a three-dimensional, disordered state in which the resulting flux rope segments contain magnetic substructure on plasma skin depth scales. Embedded in the flux ropes, we detect spatially and temporally intermittent sites of dissipation reflected in peaks in the parallel electric field. Magnetic dissipation and particle acceleration persist until the end of the simulations, with simulations with higher magnetization and lower guide field strength exhibiting greater and faster energy conversion and particle energization. At the end of our largest simulation, the particle energy spectrum attains a tail extending to high Lorentz factors that is best modeled with a combination of two additional thermal components. We confirm that the primary energization mechanism is acceleration by the electric field in the X-line region. The highest-energy positrons (electrons) are moderately beamed with median angles {approx}30 Degree-Sign -40 Degree-Sign relative to (the opposite of) the direction of the initial current density, but we speculate that reconnection in more highly magnetized plasmas would give rise to stronger beaming. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results for macroscopic reconnection sites, and which of our results may be expected to hold in systems with higher magnetizations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

SWIFT AND RXTE OBSERVATIONS OF THE BLACK HOLE TRANSIENT GX 339-4 IN THE HARD STATE BETWEEN OUTBURSTS

We use simultaneous Swift and RXTE observations of the black hole binary GX 339-4 to measure the inner radius of its accretion disk in the hard state down to 0.4% L{sub Edd} via modeling of the thermal disk emission and the relativistically broadened iron line. For the luminosity range covered in this work, our results rule out a significantly truncated disk at 100-1000 R{sub g} as predicted by the advection-dominated accretion flow paradigm. The measurements depend strongly on the assumed emission geometry, with most results providing no clear picture of radius evolution. If the inclination is constrained to roughly 20 Degree-Sign , however, the measurements based on the thermal disk emission suggest a mildly receding disk at a luminosity of 0.4% L{sub Edd}. The iron abundance varies between {approx}1 and 2 solar abundances, with the i = 20 Degree-Sign results indicating a negative correlation with luminosity, though this is likely due to a change in disk illumination geometry.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

STIS CORONAGRAPHIC IMAGING OF FOMALHAUT: MAIN BELT STRUCTURE AND THE ORBIT OF FOMALHAUT b

We present new optical coronagraphic data of Fomalhaut obtained with HST/STIS in 2010 and 2012. Fomalhaut b is recovered at both epochs to high significance. The observations include the discoveries of tenuous nebulosity beyond the main dust belt detected to at least 209 AU projected radius, and a ∼50 AU wide azimuthal gap in the belt northward of Fomalhaut b. The two epochs of Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) photometry exclude optical variability greater than 35%. A Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis demonstrates that the orbit of Fomalhaut b is highly eccentric, with e = 0.8 ± 0.1, a = 177 ± 68 AU, and q = 32 ± 24 AU. Fomalhaut b is apsidally aligned with the belt and 90% of allowed orbits have mutual inclination ≤36°. Fomalhaut b's orbit is belt crossing in the sky plane projection, but only 12% of possible orbits have ascending or descending nodes within a 25 AU wide belt annulus. The high eccentricity invokes a dynamical history where Fomalhaut b may have experienced a significant dynamical interaction with a hypothetical planet Fomalhaut c, and the current orbital configuration may be relatively short-lived. The Tisserand parameter with respect to a hypothetical Fomalhaut planet at 30 AU or 120 AU lies in the range 2-3, similar to highly eccentric dwarf planets in our solar system. We argue that Fomalhaut b's minimum mass is that of a dwarf planet in order for a circumplanetary satellite system to remain bound to a sufficient radius from the planet to be consistent with the dust scattered light hypothesis. In the coplanar case, Fomalhaut b will collide with the main belt around 2032, and the subsequent emergent phenomena may help determine its physical nature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CURVED WALLS: GRAIN GROWTH, SETTLING, AND COMPOSITION PATTERNS IN T TAURI DISK DUST SUBLIMATION FRONTS

The dust sublimation walls of disks around T Tauri stars represent a directly observable cross-section through the disk atmosphere and midplane. Their emission properties can probe the grain size distribution and composition of the innermost regions of the disk, where terrestrial planets form. Here we calculate the inner dust sublimation wall properties for four classical T Tauri stars with a narrow range of spectral types and inclination angles and a wide range of mass accretion rates to determine the extent to which the walls are radially curved. Best fits to the near- and mid-IR excesses are found for curved, two-layer walls in which the lower layer contains larger, hotter, amorphous pyroxene grains with Mg/(Mg+Fe) = 0.6 and the upper layer contains submicron, cooler, mixed amorphous olivine and forsterite grains. As the mass accretion rates decrease from 10{sup –8} to 10{sup –10} M{sub ☉} yr{sup –1}, the maximum grain size in the lower layer decreases from ∼3 to 0.5 μm. We attribute this to a decrease in fragmentation and turbulent support for micron-sized grains with decreasing viscous heating. The atmosphere of these disks is depleted of dust with dust-gas mass ratios 1 × 10{sup –4} of the interstellar medium (ISM) value, while the midplane is enhanced to eight times the ISM value. For all accretion rates, the wall contributes at least half of the flux in the optically thin 10 μm silicate feature. Finally, we find evidence for an iron gradient in the disk, suggestive of that found in our solar system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

CHARACTERIZING THE ORBITAL AND DYNAMICAL STATE OF THE HD 82943 PLANETARY SYSTEM WITH KECK RADIAL VELOCITY DATA

We present an updated analysis of radial velocity data of the HD 82943 planetary system based on 10 yr of measurements obtained with the Keck telescope. Previous studies have shown that the HD 82943 system has two planets that are likely in 2:1 mean-motion resonance (MMR), with orbital periods about 220 and 440 days. However, alternative fits that are qualitatively different have also been suggested, with two planets in a 1:1 resonance or three planets in a Laplace 4:2:1 resonance. Here we use χ{sup 2} minimization combined with a parameter grid search to investigate the orbital parameters and dynamical states of the qualitatively different types of fits, and we compare the results to those obtained with the differential evolution Markov chain Monte Carlo method. Our results support the coplanar 2:1 MMR configuration for the HD 82943 system, and show no evidence for either the 1:1 or three-planet Laplace resonance fits. The inclination of the system with respect to the sky plane is well constrained at 20{sup +4.9}{sub -5.5} degrees, and the system contains two planets with masses of about 4.78 M{sub J} and 4.80 M{sub J} (where M{sub J} is the mass of Jupiter) and orbital periods of about 219 and 442 days for the inner and outer planet, respectively. The best fit is dynamically stable with both eccentricity-type resonant angles θ{sub 1} and θ{sub 2} librating around 0°.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

MAGNETIC FIELD COMPONENTS ANALYSIS OF THE SCUPOL 850 μm POLARIZATION DATA CATALOG

We present an extensive analysis of the 850 μm polarization maps of the SCUBA Polarimeter Legacy (SCUPOL) Catalogue produced by Matthews et al., focusing exclusively on the molecular clouds and star-forming regions. For the sufficiently sampled regions, we characterize the depolarization properties and the turbulent-to-mean magnetic field ratio of each region. Similar sets of parameters are calculated from two-dimensional synthetic maps of dust-emission polarization produced with three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) numerical simulations scaled to the S106, OMC-2/3, W49, and DR21 molecular cloud polarization maps. For these specific regions, the turbulent MHD regimes retrieved from the simulations, as described by the turbulent Alfvén and Sonic Mach numbers, are consistent within a factor one to two with the values of the same turbulent regimes estimated from the analysis of Zeeman measurements data provided by Crutcher. Constraints on the values of the inclination angle α of the mean magnetic field with respect to the line of sight are also given. The values obtained from the comparison of the simulations with the SCUPOL data are consistent with the estimates made by using two observational methods provided by other authors. Our main conclusion is that simple, ideal, isothermal, and non-self-gravitating MHD simulations are sufficient in order to describe the large-scale observed physical properties of the envelopes of this set of regions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗