First-look analysis of {rho} Oph-A at 850um

The polarization vectors are used to identify the orientation of the magnetic field projected on the plane of the sky at a resolution of 0.01pc. We identify 10 subregions with distinct polarization fractions and angles in the 0.2pc {rho} Oph-A core; some of them can be part of a coherent magnetic field structure in the {rho} Oph region.

The results are consistent with previous observations of the brightest regions of {rho} Oph-A, where the degrees of polarization are at a level of a few percent, but our data reveal for the first time the magnetic field structures in the fainter regions surrounding the core where the degree of polarization is much higher (>5%). A comparison with previous near-infrared polarimetric data shows that there are several magnetic field components that are consistent at near-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths.