An international team of astronomers, led by scientists from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), has made a new discovery in the process of star formation using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The team has, for the first time, observed spiral gas flows guided by magnetic fields that directly transport material from the surrounding cloud to the newborn binary system SVS13A in Perseus.

The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, shows that ALMA data captured dust and molecular gas orbiting the binary system, revealing that magnetically guided material flows provide preferential pathways for gas to enter the star-forming region. The research team describes these gas channels, known as "sub-Alfvénic flows," as stellar construction material delivery channels regulated by spiral magnetic field lines.

Project leader Paulo Cortés stated: "These new data provide a new window into understanding star formation. This stream illustrates how magnetic fields regulate star formation by shaping the infall of material, much like a dedicated highway for cars." ALMA images clearly show two dust spiral arms around the star, along with a gas flow closely following the same path; this arrangement indicates that the gas moves more slowly than previously thought.

The discovery supports the view that magnetized channels play a dominant role in star formation, rather than purely turbulent collapse processes. This controlled material transport connecting the cloud to the protoplanetary disk demonstrates that both gravity and magnetic forces play important roles in the formation of stars and planets. This breakthrough ALMA observation is the first to directly map both the material flow and its guiding magnetic field simultaneously, providing a new perspective on the mechanisms of star birth.