OH Maser Polarimetric Observations of Planetary Nebulae

Information from the abstract

Abstract We present full-polarization observations of the four ground-state transitions of OH, carried out with the Australia Telescope Compact Array toward two very young planetary nebulae (PNe), IRAS 16333−4807 and IRAS 17393−2727. We detect Zeeman splitting in the 1720 MHz transition in IRAS 16333−4807, with magnetic field strengths of ∼2 to 9 mG, consistent with previous measurements. We also identify a possible reversal in the line-of-sight magnetic field component at −55.7 km s −1 (previously oriented toward us, now away from us), although this may be affected by spectral blending or variability. For IRAS 17393−2727, we derive magnetic field strengths of ∼3 to 20 mG at 1612 MHz, in agreement with earlier estimates. The linear polarization properties suggest a possible change in the orientation of the sky-plane component of the magnetic field. The data are consistent with variations in the magnetic field configuration in both PNe on timescales of a few years, although higher angular resolution and multiepoch observations are required to confirm this interpretation.

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Related topics: Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies · Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies · Astronomy and Astrophysical Research