MAPPING THE LINEARLY POLARIZED SPECTRAL LINE EMISSION AROUND THE EVOLVED STAR IRC+10216
Journal article, 2012
We present spectro-polarimetric observations of several molecular lines obtained with the Submillimeter Array toward the carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch star IRC+10216. We have detected and mapped the linear polarization of the CO 3-2, SiS 19-18, and CS 7-6 lines. The polarization arises at a distance of similar or equal to 450 AU from the star and is blueshifted with respect to the Stokes I. The SiS 19-18 polarization pattern appears to be consistent with a locally radial magnetic field configuration. However, the CO 3-2 and CS 7-6 line polarization suggests an overall complex magnetic field morphology within the envelope. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using spectro-polarimetric observations to carry out tomographic imaging of the magnetic field in circumstellar envelopes.
magnetic-field direction
stars: individual (IRC+10216
21(oh)
CW Leo)
radio frequencies
imaging
circumstellar envelope
forming regions
stars: AGB and post-AGB
molecular clouds
circumstellar matter
milliarcsecond
ghz
sio masers
polarization
polarimetry
Author
J. M. Girart
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
N. Patel
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Wouter Vlemmings
Chalmers, Earth and Space Sciences, Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics
R. Rao
Academia Sinica
Astrophysical Journal Letters
2041-8205 (ISSN) 2041-8213 (eISSN)
Vol. 751 1 L20Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.1088/2041-8205/751/1/l20