Cosmic magnetic fields act as 'birth control' for stars, Hong Kong and US scientists discover
Universe has its own form of family planning when it comes to making new suns
Magnetic fields could hinder the birth of stars in the universe, a 10-year study by Hong Kong and American scientists has found, challenging the long-standing theory that cosmic turbulence is the main force curbing star formation.
The scientists likened the magnetic fields to family planning for the universe, resulting in fewer stars being formed than expected.
As gravity pulls together materials into a giant cloud of dust and gas - or a nebula - for the makings of new stars, magnetic fields battle against the high-pressure process by "stirring things up" or disrupting gas flows.
The result was a flattening effect on the star-forming cloud, the scientists found.
The magnetic field "is dynamically important in determining the process of cloud formation, cloud fragmentation and cloud core formation, contradicting the mainstream assumption that turbulence is the single major protagonist regulating star formation", said lead scientist Li Hua-bai, an assistant professor of physics with the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The study, published online by the journal Nature on Monday, investigated the Cat's Paw Nebula, the largest cradle of stars close to the earth.