We investigate the question of whether ambipolar diffusion (ion-neutral drift) determines the smallest length and mass scale on which structure forms in a turbulent molecular cloud. We simulate magnetized turbulence in a mostly neutral, uniformly driven, turbulent medium, using a three-dimensional, two-fluid, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code modified from Zeus-MP. We find that substantial struct...

Observations of far-infrared (FIR) and submillimeter (SMM) polarized emission are used to study magnetic fields and dust grains in dense regions of the interstellar medium (ISM). These observations place constraints on models of molecular clouds, star-formation, grain alignment mechanisms, and grain size, shape, and composition. The FIR/SMM polarization is strongly dependent on wavelength. We h...

We present data of proper motions of OH masers in the massive star-forming regions ON 1, K3-50, and W51 Main/South. OH maser motions in ON 1 are consistent with expansion at approximately 5 km s−1, likely tracing the expanding ultracompact H II region. Motions in K3-50 are faster and may be indicating the final stages of OH maser emission in the source, before the OH masers turn off as the H II...

We present VLBA observations of 1667 MHz OH maser emission from the massive star formation region G5.89 0.39. The observations were phase-referenced, allowing the absolute positions of the masers to be obtained. The 1667MHzmasers have radial velocities that span 50 km s 1 but show little evidence of tracing the bipolar molecular outflow, as has been claimed in previous studies. We identify 23 Z...

The collapse and fragmentation of initially prolate and oblate, magnetic molecular clouds is calculated in three dimensions with a gravitational, radiative hydrodynamics code. The code includes magnetic field effects in an approximate manner: magnetic pressure, tension, braking, and ambipolar diffusion are all modelled. The parameters varied for both the initially prolate and oblate clouds are ...

We explore the importance of magnetic-field-oriented thermal conduction in the interaction of supernova remnant (SNR) shocks with radiative gas clouds and in determining the mass and energy exchange between the clouds and the hot surrounding medium. We perform 2.5D MHD simulations of a shock impacting on an isolated gas cloud, including anisotropic thermal conduction and radiative cooling; we c...

The ”inverse–dynamo” mechanism — the amplification/generation of fast plasma flows by short scale (turbulent) magnetic fields via magneto–fluid coupling is recognized and explored. It is shown that large–scale magnetic fields and flows are generated simultaneously and proportionately from short scale fields and flows. The stronger the short–scale driver, the stronger are the large–scale product...

We discuss the role of tearing instabilities in magnetic reconnection. In three dimensions this instability leads to the formation of strong Alfvenic waves that remove plasma efficiently from the reconnection layer. As a result the instability proceeds at high rates while staying close to the linear regime. Our calculations show that for a resistive fluid the reconnection speed scales as VARe ,...

Population of levels of the hyperfine and fine split ground state of an atom is affected by radiative transitions induced by anisotropic radiation flux. Such aligned atoms precess in the external magnetic field and this affects properties of polarized radiation arising from both scattering and absorption by atoms. As the result the degree of light polarization depends on the direction of the ma...