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.

circumstellar envelope

CW Leo)

radio frequencies

stars: AGB and post-AGB

milliarcsecond

forming regions

stars: individual (IRC+10216

magnetic-field direction

21(oh)

polarization

imaging

ghz

sio masers

circumstellar matter

polarimetry

molecular clouds

Author

J. M. Girart

Institute of Space Sciences (ICE) - 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 L20

Subject Categories

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

DOI

10.1088/2041-8205/751/1/l20

More information

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4/4/2018 1