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Dr. Laura Fissel
National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Abstract

The conversion of gas into stars underlies much of modern astrophysics, from planet formation to the chemical evolution of our universe.  A key outstanding question in star formation research is whether magnetic fields significantly contribute to the low star formation efficiency we observe. In this talk, I will discuss what we have learned about the role played by magnetic fields in star formation, with a particular focus on results from the BLASTPol balloon-borne sub-mm polarimeter. BLASTPol operates 38.5 km above the Earth’s surface (above 99.5% of the atmosphere), resulting in much better sensitivity compared to ground-based polarimeters. By statistically comparing detailed BLASTPol-inferred magnetic field maps of a massive molecular gas cloud with simulations, we find that magnetic fields play an important role in the formation of both low- and high-density gas sub-structures.  Our next-generation balloon-borne polarimeter, BLAST-TNG, is scheduled for a first Antarctic flight in December 2019. With BLAST-TNG we will apply these same analysis techniques to a larger sample of clouds with 5x better resolution, and quantitatively determine the extent to which magnetic fields affect star formation efficiency. Finally, I will discuss prospects for building an even more powerful balloon-borne sub-mm observatory that can access most of the sky as part of NASA’s new Super-Pressure balloon program.