OMC Filamentary Structure: Quantitative Assessments of Cloud and Magnetic Field Orientations

Molecular cloud structures and magnetic field orientations were examined for the portion of the Orion Molecular Cloud covering the integral shaped filament and the central BN/KL region. Near-Infrared polarization data for the H- and K- bands from the Boston University Near-Infrared Polarization Orion Survey (NPOS) were assessed in combination with column density and surface brightness maps derived in the mid-infrared and far-infrared using data from Herschel, Spitzer, and WISE. The Rolling Hough Transform was applied to the column density and surface brightness maps to retrieve cloud structure information, in particular component filament properties such as lengths, widths, and position angle orientations. The latter were compared to NIR polarization position angles for starlight probing individual filaments. The relative orientation of the local magnetic field is being studied for various regions encompassing the NPOS. Gas and dust column density and polarization properties are being studied for each region and comparatively studied. This work was supported by grant AST18-14531 and AST 20-09842 from NSF.