Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T14:16:43.134Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Polarisation of Class II Methanol Masers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2013

P. D. Stack
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 37, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
S. P. Ellingsen*
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 37, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
*
BCorresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We have used the University of Tasmania Mt Pleasant 26-m radio telescope to investigate the polarisation characteristics of a sample of strong 6.7 GHz methanol masers, the first spectral line polarisation observations to be undertaken with this instrument. As part of this process we have developed a new technique for calibrating linear polarisation spectral line observations. This calibration method gives results consistent with more traditional techniques, but requires much less observing time on the telescope. We have made the first polarisation measurements of a number of 6.7 GHz methanol masers and find linear polarisation at levels from a few to 10% in most of the sources we observed, consistent with previous results. We also investigated the circular polarisation produced by Zeeman splitting in the 6.7 GHz methanol maser G9.62+0.20 to get an estimate of the line of sight magnetic field strength of 35±7 mG.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2011

References

Breen, S. L., Ellingsen, S. P., Caswell, J. L. & Lewis, B. E., 2010, MNRAS, 401, 2219Google Scholar
Breen, S. L. & Ellingsen, S. P., 2011, MNRAS (in press astro-ph arXiv:1105.1318)Google Scholar
Caswell, J. L., 1997, MNRAS, 289, 203CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caswell, J. L., 2004, MNRAS, 349, 99CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caswell, J. L., 2009, PASA, 26, 454CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caswell, J. L. et al. , 2010, MNRAS, 404, 1029Google Scholar
Cenacchi, E., Kraus, A., Orfei, A. & Mack, K.-H., 2009, A&A, 498, 591Google Scholar
Cragg, D. M., Sobolev, A. M. & Godfrey, P. D., 2002, MNRAS, 331, 521CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cragg, D. M., Sobolev, A. M. & Godfrey, P. D., 2005, MNRAS, 360, 533Google Scholar
Dodson, R., 2008, A&A, 480, 767Google Scholar
Ellingsen, S. P., Norris, R. P. & McCulloch, P. M., 1996, MNRAS, 279, 101CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellingsen, S. P., 2002, in Proceedings of IAU Symposium 206 ed. Mignes, V. & Reid, M., Astron. Soc of the Pacific, 151Google Scholar
Ellingsen, S. P., Voronkov, M. A., Cragg, D. M., Sobolev, A. M., Breen, S. L. & Godfrey, P. D., 2007, in Proceedings of IAU Symposium 242, ed. Chapman, J. M. & Baan, W. A., Cambridge University Press, 213Google Scholar
Fish, V. L., Muehlbrad, T. C., Pratap, P., Sjouwerman, L. O., Strelnitski, V., Pihlström, Y. M. & Bourke, T. L., 2011, ApJ, 729, 14CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, J. A. et al. , 2010, MNRAS, 409, 913Google Scholar
Hamaker, J. P. & Bregman, J. D., 1996, A&A Sup., 117, 161Google Scholar
Hamaker, J. P., Bregman, J. D. & Sault, R. J., 1996, A&A Sup., 117, 137Google Scholar
Hamaker, J. P., 2000, A&A Sup., 143, 515Google Scholar
Heiles, C. et al. , 2001, PASP, 113, 1274CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jen, C. K., 1951, PhRv, 81, 197Google Scholar
Johnston, S., 2002, PASA, 19, 277CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menten, K. M., Reid, M. J., Pratap, P., Moran, J. M. & Wilson, T. L., 1992, ApJ, 401, L39CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minier, V., Booth, R. S. & Conway, J. E., 2000, A&A, 362, 1093Google Scholar
Minier, V., Ellingsen, S. P., Norris, R. P. & Booth, R. S., 2003, A&A, 403, 1095Google Scholar
Modjaz, M., Moran, J. M., Kondratko, P. T. & Greenhill, L. J., 2005, APJ, 626, 104CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mouschovias, T. C. & Ciolek, G. E., 1999, in The Origin of Stars and Planetary Systems, NATO ASIC Proc. 504, 305CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norris, R. P. et al. , 1998, ApJ, 508, 275CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Straten, W., 2004, ApJ Sup., 152, 129CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Surcis, G., Vlemmings, W. H. T., Curiel, S., Hutawarakorn Kramer, B., Torrelles, J. M. & Sarma, A. P., 2011, A&A, 527, 48Google Scholar
Vlemmings, W. H. T., Diamond, P. J. & van Langevelde, H. J., 2002, A&A, 394, 589Google Scholar
Vlemmings, W. H. T., 2008, A&A, 484, 773Google Scholar
Vlemmings, W. H. T., Goedhart, S. & Gaylard, M. J., 2009, A&A, 500, L9Google Scholar
Vlemmings, W. H. T., Surcis, G., Torstensson, K. J. E. & van Langevelde, H. J., 2010, MNRAS, 404, 134Google Scholar
Vlemmings, W. H. T., Torres, R. M. & Dodson, R., 2011, A&A, 529, 95Google Scholar
Xu, Y., Li, J. J., Hachisuka, K., Pandian, J. D., Menten, K. M. & Henkel, C., 2008, A&A, 485, 729Google Scholar