Cosmic turbulences result in star and black hole formation

Just how stars and black holes in the Universe are able to form from rotating matter is one of the big questions of astrophysics. What we do know is that magnetic fields figure prominently into the picture. However, our current understanding is that they only work if matter is electrically well conductive – but in rotating discs this isn’t always the case. Now, a new publication by Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf physicists in the scientific journal „Physical Review Letters“ shows how magnetic fields can also cause turbulences within “dead zones,” thus making an important contribution to our current understanding of just how compact objects form in the cosmos.Press release