8 research outputs found
A magnetically collimated jet from an evolved star
Planetary nebulae often have asymmetric shapes, which could arise due to
collimated jets from evolved stars before evolution to the planetary nebula
phase. The source of jet collimation in these stars is unknown. Magnetic fields
are thought to collimate outflows that are observed in many other astrophysical
sources, such as active galactic nuclei and proto-stars, although hitherto
there are no direct observations of both the magnetic field direction and
strength in any collimated jet. Theoretical models have shown that magnetic
fields could also be the dominant source of collimation of jet in evolved
stars. Here we report measurements of the polarization of water vapour masers
that trace the precessing jet emanating from the asymptotic giant branch star
W43A at 2.6 kpc from the Sun, which is undergoing rapid evolution into a
planetary nebula. The masers occur in two clusters at opposing tips of the
jets, ~1,000 AU from the star. We find direct evidence that the magnetic field
is collimating the jet.Comment: Published in Nature 440 (March 2nd 2006). High-res figures can be
found at http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~wouter/papers/w43a/w43a.htm
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