Strong magnetic field in W75N OH maser flare

Abstract

A flare of OH maser emission was discovered in W75N in 2000. Its location was determined with the VLBA to be within 110 au from one of the ultracompact H II regions, VLA2. The flare consisted of several maser spots. Four of the spots were found to form Zeeman pairs, all of them with a magnetic field strength of about 40 mG. This is the highest ever magnetic field strength found in OH masers, an order of magnitude higher than in typical OH masers. Three possible sources for the enhanced magnetic field are discussed: (i) the magnetic field of the exciting star dragged out by the stellar wind; (ii) the general interstellar field in the gas compressed by the MHD shock; and (iii) the magnetic field of planets which orbit the exciting star and produce maser emission in gaseous envelopes.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. to be published in MNRA