Shock-induced grain alignment in the Orion Nebula

Computer Science

Scientific paper

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Hydrogen Recombinations, Infrared Radiation, Nebulae, Orion Constellation, Polarimetry, Grain Boundaries, Radiative Transfer, Spatial Dependencies, Wavelengths

Scientific paper

Infrared polarimetry of the Orion Nebula is presented including circular polarimetry of the Becklin-Neugebauer Source (BN) from 1.6 to 3.1 micrometers and linear polarimetry of the Kleinmann-Low Nebula (KL) and IRS2 at 2.2 micrometers. The ellipticity of the polarization of BN is about 10% and is approximately independent of wavelength from 1.6 to 3.4 micrometers. The three measured points in the KL nebula and IRS2 are found to have polarization position angles within 30 deg of the position angle of BN. The polarization is attributed to the effect of aligned, aspherical grains in KL. The degree of grain alignment necessary to produce the observed polarization of BN is most likely explained by the Purcell pinwheel alignment mechanism, driven by hydrogen recombination on the surface of grains. It is hypothesized that a shock provides the atomic hydrogen abundance necessary to excite this process. A comprehensive model of the wavelength and spatial dependencies of linear and circular polarization of KL and BN is developed based on the radiative transfer of infrared radiation through a centrally heated cloud of aligned dust grains.

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