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 $\sim 2.6\sigma$. The molecular line investigation based on the CO $J=3\to 2$ 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 $\sim 3.8\sigma$. In both cases, it was therefore not possible to use the electric vector maps (B-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.

arXiv comment8 pages, Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

References in corpus (16)

• The Submillimeter Array
• Millimeter-wave polarization of protoplanetary disks due to dust scattering
• Shape: A 3D Modeling Tool for Astrophysics
• Inclination-Induced Polarization of Scattered Millimeter Radiation from Protoplanetary Disks: The Case of HL Tau
• Magnetic Fields via Polarimetry: Progress of Grain Alignment Theory
• Unveiling the Role of the Magnetic Field at the Smallest Scales of Star Formation
• Magnetic fields in planetary nebulae and post-AGB nebulae
• Helical Magnetic Fields in the NGC1333 IRAS 4A Protostellar Outflows
• Comparing star formation models with interferometric observations of the protostar NGC 1333 IRAS 4A. I. Magnetohydrodynamic collapse models
• New light on Galactic post-asymptotic giant branch stars. I. First distance catalogue
• Polarized dust emission of magnetized molecular cloud cores
• The magnetic field toward the young planetary nebula K~3-35
• Submillimeter polarisation and magnetic field properties in the envelopes of proto-planetary nebulae CRL 618 and OH 231.8+4.2
• Millimeter polarisation of the protoplanetary nebula OH 231.8+4.2: A follow-up study with CARMA
• The magnetic field of the proto-planetary nebula candidate IRAS 19296+2227
• Alignment of Dust by Radiative Torque: Recent Developments

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Low Level Carbon Monoxide Line Polarization in two Protoplanetary Disks: HD 142527 and IM Lup
• The Near-Infrared Polarization of the Pre-Planetary Nebula Frosty Leo