Magnetic fields and radiative feedback in the star formation process
Star formation is a complex process involving the interplay of many physical effects, including gravity, turbulent gas dynamics, magnetic fields and radiation. Our understanding of the process has improved substantially in recent years, primarily as a result of our increased ability to incorporate the relevant physics in numerical calculations of the star formation process. In this contribution we present an overview of our recent studies of star cluster formation in turbulent, magnetised clouds using self‐gravitating radiation‐magnetohydrodynamicscalculations[1, 2]. Our incorporation of magnetic fields and radiative transfer into the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method are discussed. We highlight how magnetic fields and radiative heating of the gas around newborn stars can solve several of the key puzzles in star formation, including an explanation for why star formation is such a slow and inefficient process. However, the presence of magnetic fields at observed strengths in collapsing protostellar co...