Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146

Autores
Hales, C. A.; Benaglia, Paula; del Palacio, Santiago; Romero, Gustavo Esteban; Koribalski, Bärbel Silvia
Año de publicación
2017
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Context. Several massive early-type binaries exhibit non-thermal emission which has been attributed to synchrotron radiation from particles accelerated by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) in the wind-collision region (WCR). If the magnetic field in the strong shocks is ordered, its component parallel to the shock front should be enhanced, and the resultant synchrotron radiation would be polarized. However, such polarization has never been measured. Aims. We aim to determine the percentage of linearly polarized emission from the well-known non-thermal radio emitter WR 146, a WC6+O8 system. Methods. We performed spatially-unresolved radio continuum observations of WR 146 at 5 cm and 20 cm with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. We constructed a numerical model to investigate a scenario where particles are accelerated by turbulent magnetic reconnection (MR), and we performed a quantitative analysis of possible depolarization effects. Results. No linearly polarized radio emission was detected. The data constrain the fractional linear polarization to less than 0.6% between 1 to 8 GHz. This is compatible with a high level of turbulence and a dominant random component in the magnetic field. In this case the relativistic particles could be produced by turbulent magnetic reconnection. In order for this scenario to satisfy the required non-thermal energy budget, the strength of the magnetic field in the WCR must be as high as ∼ 150 mG. However, if the magnetic field is ordered and DSA is ongoing, then a combination of internal and external Faraday rotation could equally account for the depolarization of the emission. Conclusions. The absence of polarization could be caused by a highly turbulent magnetic field, other depolarization mechanisms such as Faraday rotation in the stellar wind, or a combination of these processes. It is not clear whether it is possible to develop the high level of turbulence and strong magnetic fields required for efficient MR in a long-period binary such as WR 146. This scenario might also have trouble explaining the low-frequency cutoff in the spectrum. We therefore favor a scenario where particles are accelerated through DSA and the depolarization is produced by mechanisms other than a large ratio between random to regular magnetic fields.
Fil: Hales, C. A.. National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Estados Unidos
Fil: Benaglia, Paula. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; Argentina
Fil: del Palacio, Santiago. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; Argentina
Fil: Romero, Gustavo Esteban. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; Argentina
Fil: Koribalski, Bärbel Silvia. Australia Telescope National Facility; Australia
Materia
Polarization
Radio continuum
Radiation mechanisms
Non thermal mechanisms
WR 146 (estrella)
Winds
Outflows
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/29322
Acceder
id CONICETDig_08c0e93fee49878ac516d4473e028a89
oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/29322
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146Hales, C. A.Benaglia, Pauladel Palacio, SantiagoRomero, Gustavo EstebanKoribalski, Bärbel SilviaPolarizationRadio continuumRadiation mechanismsNon thermal mechanismsWR 146 (estrella)WindsOutflowshttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Context. Several massive early-type binaries exhibit non-thermal emission which has been attributed to synchrotron radiation from particles accelerated by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) in the wind-collision region (WCR). If the magnetic field in the strong shocks is ordered, its component parallel to the shock front should be enhanced, and the resultant synchrotron radiation would be polarized. However, such polarization has never been measured. Aims. We aim to determine the percentage of linearly polarized emission from the well-known non-thermal radio emitter WR 146, a WC6+O8 system. Methods. We performed spatially-unresolved radio continuum observations of WR 146 at 5 cm and 20 cm with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. We constructed a numerical model to investigate a scenario where particles are accelerated by turbulent magnetic reconnection (MR), and we performed a quantitative analysis of possible depolarization effects. Results. No linearly polarized radio emission was detected. The data constrain the fractional linear polarization to less than 0.6% between 1 to 8 GHz. This is compatible with a high level of turbulence and a dominant random component in the magnetic field. In this case the relativistic particles could be produced by turbulent magnetic reconnection. In order for this scenario to satisfy the required non-thermal energy budget, the strength of the magnetic field in the WCR must be as high as ∼ 150 mG. However, if the magnetic field is ordered and DSA is ongoing, then a combination of internal and external Faraday rotation could equally account for the depolarization of the emission. Conclusions. The absence of polarization could be caused by a highly turbulent magnetic field, other depolarization mechanisms such as Faraday rotation in the stellar wind, or a combination of these processes. It is not clear whether it is possible to develop the high level of turbulence and strong magnetic fields required for efficient MR in a long-period binary such as WR 146. This scenario might also have trouble explaining the low-frequency cutoff in the spectrum. We therefore favor a scenario where particles are accelerated through DSA and the depolarization is produced by mechanisms other than a large ratio between random to regular magnetic fields.Fil: Hales, C. A.. National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Estados UnidosFil: Benaglia, Paula. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: del Palacio, Santiago. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Romero, Gustavo Esteban. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Koribalski, Bärbel Silvia. Australia Telescope National Facility; AustraliaEDP Sciences2017-02info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/29322Hales, C. A.; Benaglia, Paula; del Palacio, Santiago; Romero, Gustavo Esteban; Koribalski, Bärbel Silvia; Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146; EDP Sciences; Astronomy and Astrophysics; 598; 2-20170004-6361CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1051/0004-6361/201629644info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2017/02/aa29644-16/aa29644-16.htmlinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-10-15T15:29:37Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/29322instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-10-15 15:29:37.465CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146
title Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146
spellingShingle Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146
Hales, C. A.
Polarization
Radio continuum
Radiation mechanisms
Non thermal mechanisms
WR 146 (estrella)
Winds
Outflows
title_short Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146
title_full Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146
title_fullStr Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146
title_full_unstemmed Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146
title_sort Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Hales, C. A.
Benaglia, Paula
del Palacio, Santiago
Romero, Gustavo Esteban
Koribalski, Bärbel Silvia
author Hales, C. A.
author_facet Hales, C. A.
Benaglia, Paula
del Palacio, Santiago
Romero, Gustavo Esteban
Koribalski, Bärbel Silvia
author_role author
author2 Benaglia, Paula
del Palacio, Santiago
Romero, Gustavo Esteban
Koribalski, Bärbel Silvia
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Polarization
Radio continuum
Radiation mechanisms
Non thermal mechanisms
WR 146 (estrella)
Winds
Outflows
topic Polarization
Radio continuum
Radiation mechanisms
Non thermal mechanisms
WR 146 (estrella)
Winds
Outflows
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Context. Several massive early-type binaries exhibit non-thermal emission which has been attributed to synchrotron radiation from particles accelerated by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) in the wind-collision region (WCR). If the magnetic field in the strong shocks is ordered, its component parallel to the shock front should be enhanced, and the resultant synchrotron radiation would be polarized. However, such polarization has never been measured. Aims. We aim to determine the percentage of linearly polarized emission from the well-known non-thermal radio emitter WR 146, a WC6+O8 system. Methods. We performed spatially-unresolved radio continuum observations of WR 146 at 5 cm and 20 cm with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. We constructed a numerical model to investigate a scenario where particles are accelerated by turbulent magnetic reconnection (MR), and we performed a quantitative analysis of possible depolarization effects. Results. No linearly polarized radio emission was detected. The data constrain the fractional linear polarization to less than 0.6% between 1 to 8 GHz. This is compatible with a high level of turbulence and a dominant random component in the magnetic field. In this case the relativistic particles could be produced by turbulent magnetic reconnection. In order for this scenario to satisfy the required non-thermal energy budget, the strength of the magnetic field in the WCR must be as high as ∼ 150 mG. However, if the magnetic field is ordered and DSA is ongoing, then a combination of internal and external Faraday rotation could equally account for the depolarization of the emission. Conclusions. The absence of polarization could be caused by a highly turbulent magnetic field, other depolarization mechanisms such as Faraday rotation in the stellar wind, or a combination of these processes. It is not clear whether it is possible to develop the high level of turbulence and strong magnetic fields required for efficient MR in a long-period binary such as WR 146. This scenario might also have trouble explaining the low-frequency cutoff in the spectrum. We therefore favor a scenario where particles are accelerated through DSA and the depolarization is produced by mechanisms other than a large ratio between random to regular magnetic fields.
Fil: Hales, C. A.. National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Estados Unidos
Fil: Benaglia, Paula. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; Argentina
Fil: del Palacio, Santiago. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; Argentina
Fil: Romero, Gustavo Esteban. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; Argentina
Fil: Koribalski, Bärbel Silvia. Australia Telescope National Facility; Australia
description Context. Several massive early-type binaries exhibit non-thermal emission which has been attributed to synchrotron radiation from particles accelerated by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) in the wind-collision region (WCR). If the magnetic field in the strong shocks is ordered, its component parallel to the shock front should be enhanced, and the resultant synchrotron radiation would be polarized. However, such polarization has never been measured. Aims. We aim to determine the percentage of linearly polarized emission from the well-known non-thermal radio emitter WR 146, a WC6+O8 system. Methods. We performed spatially-unresolved radio continuum observations of WR 146 at 5 cm and 20 cm with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. We constructed a numerical model to investigate a scenario where particles are accelerated by turbulent magnetic reconnection (MR), and we performed a quantitative analysis of possible depolarization effects. Results. No linearly polarized radio emission was detected. The data constrain the fractional linear polarization to less than 0.6% between 1 to 8 GHz. This is compatible with a high level of turbulence and a dominant random component in the magnetic field. In this case the relativistic particles could be produced by turbulent magnetic reconnection. In order for this scenario to satisfy the required non-thermal energy budget, the strength of the magnetic field in the WCR must be as high as ∼ 150 mG. However, if the magnetic field is ordered and DSA is ongoing, then a combination of internal and external Faraday rotation could equally account for the depolarization of the emission. Conclusions. The absence of polarization could be caused by a highly turbulent magnetic field, other depolarization mechanisms such as Faraday rotation in the stellar wind, or a combination of these processes. It is not clear whether it is possible to develop the high level of turbulence and strong magnetic fields required for efficient MR in a long-period binary such as WR 146. This scenario might also have trouble explaining the low-frequency cutoff in the spectrum. We therefore favor a scenario where particles are accelerated through DSA and the depolarization is produced by mechanisms other than a large ratio between random to regular magnetic fields.
publishDate 2017
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2017-02
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/29322
Hales, C. A.; Benaglia, Paula; del Palacio, Santiago; Romero, Gustavo Esteban; Koribalski, Bärbel Silvia; Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146; EDP Sciences; Astronomy and Astrophysics; 598; 2-2017
0004-6361
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/29322
identifier_str_mv Hales, C. A.; Benaglia, Paula; del Palacio, Santiago; Romero, Gustavo Esteban; Koribalski, Bärbel Silvia; Synchrotron radiation and absence of linear polarization in the colliding wind binary WR 146; EDP Sciences; Astronomy and Astrophysics; 598; 2-2017
0004-6361
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1051/0004-6361/201629644
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2017/02/aa29644-16/aa29644-16.html
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv EDP Sciences
publisher.none.fl_str_mv EDP Sciences
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 13.22299

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