Akanksha Bij

Queen’s University

Fig 1. Main dense filament within RCW 36 of the Vela C Giant Molecular Cloud. Contours show the column density (from Herschel Gould Belt Survey). The colours show various gas and dust tracers: Red – ALMA Band 6 Continuum, Green – Spitzer Channel 1, Blue – APEX 12CO. The vectors show the plane-of-sky magnetic field geometry inferred from SOFIA/HAWC+ 79 m polarization data.

Akanksha is a MSc student at Queen’s University researching open questions about star formation. While we have a fairly solid understanding of how stars behave during their lifetime, the process(es) which births the stars still remain shrouded in mystery. It is currently understood that stars form in large, magnetized and highly turbulent clouds. Akanksha’s research focuses specifically on the ‘magnetized’ part of this equation.

Under the supervision of Prof. Laura Fissel, Akanksha studies the magnetic field morphology of these star-forming clouds using polarized radiation emitted from heated dust grains, which are thought to align with the magnetic field. She then applies numerical tools to quantify if there is a statistical preference in the alignment of the geometry of the magnetic field with the orientation of the ‘filamentary’ structures that form within the clouds (see for example: green structures and vectors in Fig. 1). This study will help to understand questions like: 1) Is the magnetic field able to provide support against gravitational collapse? 2) Does the magnetic field geometry impact the evolution of structures and gas kinematics within molecular clouds? 3) Does feedback from the nearby massive stars alter the magnetic field geometry?

Previously at the University of Toronto, Akanksha was also involved in new sightings of peculiar emission in giant pulses from the Crab pulsar using a 46-m Canadian telescope at the Algonquin Radio Observatory (DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac1589). These sightings lead to a novel measurement of the Lorentz factor of relativistically moving plasma thought to be the source of pulsar radiation. Aside from research, Akanksha also enjoys science outreach and volunteers with Let’s Talk Science and the Queen’s Observatory.