A submillimeter polarization analysis of Frosty Leo
Abstract
We present a polarimetric investigation of the protoplanetary nebula Frosty Leo performed with the Submillimeter Array. We were able to detect, in the low continuum level (peak at 14.4 mJy beam-1), a marginal polarization at 2.6σ. The molecular line investigation based on the CO J = 3 → 2 emission shows a peak emission of 68.1 Jy beam-1 km s-1 and the polarization detection in this CO line is also marginal, with a peak at 3.8σ. In both cases, it was therefore not possible to use the electric vector maps (E field) to accurately trace the magnetic field (B field) within the PPN. The spatio-kinematic modelling realised with the different velocity channel maps indicates three main structures: a distorted torus accompanied by a bipolar outflow or jet aligned with its axis and a flattened spherical `cap'. The comparison of the CO polarization segments with our model suggests that the polarized emission probably arises in the first two components.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- April 2019
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1901.06072
- Bibcode:
- 2019MNRAS.484.2966S
- Keywords:
-
- magnetic fields;
- polarization;
- stars: AGB and post-AGB;
- ISM: individual objects: Frosty Leonis;
- ISM: jets and outflows;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 8 pages, Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society