Data from: Evidence for the gravity-driven and magnetically-regularized gas flows feeding the massive protostellar cluster in Cep A

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Authors: Panigrahy Sandhyarani, Chakali Eswaraiah, Di Li, Enrique Vazquez‐Semadeni, Gilberto C. Gómez, Travis J. Thieme, Manash Ranjan Samal, Jia-Wei Wang, Shih-Ping Lai, Wen-Ping Chen, Devendra Kumar Ojha
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Abstract

The hierarchical interplay among gravity, magnetic fields, and turbulence in forming massive protostellar clusters remains elusive. We present high-resolution (∼14 arcsec ≃ 0.05 pc) 850 μm dust polarization and C18O line observations of Cepheus A using JCMT SCUBA-2/POL-2 and HARP. Our analysis reveals aligned gravitational (G), magnetic (B), and velocity fields (K), with an energy hierarchy of EG > EB > EK. Gravity, as the primary driver, induces gas flows and drags in B-field lines. Magnetic tension, as a secondary force, regulates turbulence, enabling ordered flows with an accretion rate of ∼2.1×10−4 M⊙ yr−1. This challenges the conventional view of B-fields resisting collapse in the clump/hub scale, instead showing cooperation with gravity. The ∼0.6 pc clump-scale B-field (with mean PA ∼45°) aligns coherently with fields at cloud (∼5 pc), core (∼0.05 pc), and disk (∼2000 AU) scales, offering new insights into multiscale star formation dynamics.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Galaxies: Formation Evolution Phenomena Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations

Publication details

Journal / source
DRYAD
Publication date
10 March 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Dataset