Characterizing the Accuracy of ALMA Linear-polarization Mosaics
Abstract

We characterize the accuracy of linear-polarization mosaics made using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). First, we observed the bright, highly linearly polarized blazar 3C 279 at Bands 3, 5, 6, and 7 (3 mm, 1.6 mm, 1.3 mm, and 0.87 mm, respectively). At each band, we measured the blazar’s polarization on an 11 × 11 grid of evenly spaced offset pointings covering the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) area of the primary beam. After applying calibration solutions derived from the on-axis pointing of 3C 279 to all of the on- and off-axis data, we find that the residual polarization errors across the primary beam are similar at all frequencies: the residual errors in linear polarization fractionPfracand polarization position angleχare ≲0.001 (≲0.1% of StokesI) and ≲ 1° near the center of the primary beam; the errors increase to ∼0.003–0.005 (∼0.3%–0.5% of StokesI) and ∼1°–5° near the FWHM as a result of the asymmetric beam patterns in the (linearly polarized)QandUmaps. We see the expected double-lobed “beam squint” pattern in the circular polarization (StokesV) maps. Second, to test the polarization accuracy in a typical ALMA project, we performed observations of continuum linear polarization toward the Kleinmann–Low nebula in Orion (Orion-KL) using several mosaic patterns at Bands 3 more »

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
NSF-PAR ID:
10303674
Journal Name:
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Volume:
132
Issue:
1015
Page Range or eLocation-ID:
Article No. 094501
ISSN:
0004-6280
Publisher:
IOP Publishing
National Science Foundation
##### More Like this
1. Abstract

The Orion Kleinmann-Low nebula (Orion KL) is notoriously complex and exhibits a range of physical and chemical components. We conducted high-angular-resolution (subarcsecond) observations of13CH3OHν= 0 (∼0.″3 and ∼0.″7) and CH3CNν8= 1 (∼0.″2 and ∼0.″9) line emission with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to investigate Orion KL’s structure on small spatial scales (≤350 au). Gas kinematics, excitation temperatures, and column densities were derived from the molecular emission via a pixel-by-pixel spectral line fitting of the image cubes, enabling us to examine the small-scale variation of these parameters. Subregions of the Hot Core have a higher excitation temperature in a 0.″2 beam than in a 0.″9 beam, indicative of possible internal sources of heating. Furthermore, the velocity field includes a bipolar ∼7–8 km s−1feature with a southeast–northwest orientation against the surrounding ∼4–5 km s−1velocity field, which may be due to an outflow. We also find evidence of a possible source of internal heating toward the Northwest Clump, since the excitation temperature there is higher in a smaller beam versus a larger beam. Finally, the region southwest of the Hot Core (Hot Core-SW) presents itself as a particularly heterogeneous region bridging the Hot Core and Compact Ridge. Additional studies to identifymore »

2. Context. Recent years have seen building evidence that planet formation starts early, in the first ~0.5 Myr. Studying the dust masses available in young disks enables us to understand the origin of planetary systems given that mature disks are lacking the solid material necessary to reproduce the observed exoplanetary systems, especially the massive ones. Aims. We aim to determine if disks in the embedded stage of star formation contain enough dust to explain the solid content of the most massive exoplanets. Methods. We use Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 6 (1.1–1.3 mm) continuum observations of embedded disks in the Perseus star-forming region together with Very Large Array (VLA) Ka -band (9 mm) data to provide a robust estimate of dust disk masses from the flux densities measured in the image plane. Results. We find a strong linear correlation between the ALMA and VLA fluxes, demonstrating that emission at both wavelengths is dominated by dust emission. For a subsample of optically thin sources, we find a median spectral index of 2.5 from which we derive the dust opacity index β = 0.5, suggesting significant dust growth. Comparison with ALMA surveys of Orion shows that the Class I dust disk massmore »
3. Abstract

The unprecedented angular resolution and sensitivity of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array make it possible to unveil disk populations in distant (>2 kpc), embedded young cluster environments. We have conducted an observation toward the central region of the massive protocluster G286.21+0.16 at 1.3 mm. With a spatial resolution of 23 mas and a sensitivity of 15μJy beam−1, we detect a total of 38 protostellar disks. These disks have dust masses ranging from about 53 to 1825M, assuming a dust temperature of 20 K. This sample is not closely associated with previously identified dense cores, as would be expected for disks around Class 0 protostars. Thus, we expect our sample, being flux-limited, to be mainly composed of Class I/flat-spectrum source disks, since these are typically more massive than Class II disks. Furthermore, we find that the distributions of disk masses and radii are statistically indistinguishable from those of the Class I/flat-spectrum objects in the Orion molecular cloud, indicating that similar processes are operating in G286.21+0.16 to regulate disk formation and evolution. The cluster center appears to host a massive protostellar system composed of three sources within 1200 au, including a potential binary with 600 au projected separation. Relative to thismore »

4. Silver nanogratings are anisotropic plasmonic nanostructures with potential application in optical components due to their large birefringence and dichroism. We induced linear birefringence and linear dichroism in subwavelength Ag-AgCl films by irradiating with a single low-power linearly polarized laser beam. The laser beam aligns silver nanoparticles in the direction of laser polarization and forms nanograting. We used Stokes parameters to determine linear birefringence and linear dichroism in silver aligned nanostructures. The values of linear dichroism and linear birefringence in silver nanogratings are controllable through manipulating the spatial period of nanogratings. The dispersion characteristic of dichroism and birefringence is also investigated.

5. ABSTRACT We present ALMA Band 7 polarization observations of the OMC-1 region of the Orion molecular cloud. We find that the polarization pattern observed in the region is likely to have been significantly altered by the radiation field of the >104 L⊙ high-mass protostar Orion Source I. In the protostar’s optically thick disc, polarization is likely to arise from dust self-scattering. In material to the south of Source I – previously identified as a region of ‘anomalous’ polarization emission – we observe a polarization geometry concentric around Source I. We demonstrate that Source I’s extreme luminosity may be sufficient to make the radiative precession time-scale shorter than the Larmor time-scale for moderately large grains ($\gt 0.005\!-\!0.1\, \mu$m), causing them to precess around the radiation anisotropy vector (k-RATs) rather than the magnetic field direction (B-RATs). This requires relatively unobscured emission from Source I, supporting the hypothesis that emission in this region arises from the cavity wall of the Source I outflow. This is one of the first times that evidence for k-RAT alignment has been found outside of a protostellar disc or AGB star envelope. Alternatively, the grains may remain aligned by B-RATs and trace gas infall on to the Main Ridge.more »