Monitoring of the polarized H<SUB>2</SUB>O maser emission around the massive protostars W75N(B)-VLA 1 and W75N(B)-VLA 2

DOI: 
10.1051/0004-6361/202245734
Publication date: 
13/05/2023
Main author: 
Surcis, G.
IAA authors: 
Gómez, J. F.
Authors: 
Surcis, G.;Vlemmings, W. H. T.;Goddi, C.;Torrelles, J. M.;Gómez, J. F.;Rodríguez-Kamenetzky, A.;Carrasco-González, C.;Curiel, S.;Kim, S. -W.;Kim, J. -S.;van Langevelde, H. J.
Journal: 
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Publication type: 
Article
Volume: 
673
Pages: 
A10
Abstract: 
Context. Several radio sources have been detected in the high-mass star-forming region W75N(B), with the massive young stellar objects VLA 1 and VLA 2 shown to be of particular interest among them. These objects are thought to be at different evolutionary stages: VLA 1 is in the early stage of photoionization and driving a thermal radio jet, while VLA 2 is a thermal, collimated ionized wind surrounded by a dusty disk or envelope. In both sources, 22 GHz H<SUB>2</SUB>O masers have been detected in the past. Those around VLA 1 show a persistent linear distribution along the thermal radio jet, while those around VLA 2 have traced the evolution from a non-collimated to a collimated outflow over a period of ∼20 yr. The magnetic field inferred from the H<SUB>2</SUB>O masers has shown an orientation rotation following the direction of the major-axis of the shell around VLA 2, whereas it is immutable around VLA 1. <BR /> Aims: By monitoring the polarized emission of the 22 GHz H<SUB>2</SUB>O masers around both VLA 1 and VLA 2 over a period of six years, we aim to determine whether the H<SUB>2</SUB>O maser distributions show any variation over time and whether the magnetic field behaves accordingly. <BR /> Methods: The European VLBI Network was used in full polarization and phase-reference mode in order to determine the absolute positions of the 22 GHz H<SUB>2</SUB>O masers with a beam size of ∼1 mas and to determine the orientation and the strength of the magnetic field. We observed four epochs separated by two years from 2014 to 2020. <BR /> Results: We detected polarized emission from the H<SUB>2</SUB>O masers around both VLA 1 and VLA 2 in all the epochs. By comparing the H<SUB>2</SUB>O masers detected in the four epochs, we find that the masers around VLA 1 are tracing a nondissociative shock originating from the expansion of the thermal radio jet, while the masers around VLA 2 are tracing an asymmetric expansion of the gas that is halted in the northeast where the gas likely encounters a very dense medium. We also found that the magnetic field inferred from the H<SUB>2</SUB>O masers in each epoch can be considered as a portion of a quasi-static magnetic field estimated in that location rather than in that time. This allowed us to study the morphology of the magnetic field around both VLA 1 and VLA 2 locally across a larger area by considering the vectors estimated in all the epochs as a whole. We find that the magnetic field in VLA 1 is located along the jet axis, bending toward the north and south at the northeasterly and southwesterly ends of the jet, respectively, reconnecting with the large-scale magnetic field. The magnetic field in VLA 2 is perpendicular to the expansion directions until it encounters the denser matter in the northeast, where the magnetic field is parallel to the expansion direction and agrees with the large-scale magnetic field. We also measured the magnetic field strength along the line of sight in three of the four epochs, with resulting values of -764 mG &lt; B<SUB>||</SUB><SUP>VLA 1</SUP> &lt; - 676 mG and -355 mG &lt; B<SUB>||</SUB><SUP>VLA 2</SUP> &lt; -2426 mG.
Database: 
ADS
URL: 
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/#abs/2023A&A...673A..10S/abstract
ADS Bibcode: 
2023A&A...673A..10S
Keywords: 
stars: formation;masers;polarization;magnetic fields;Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics;Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies