Polarization of the H₂O maser emission from Orion KL at epoch 2011.7

Abstract

Polarization observations of the H₂O maser emission at 1.35 cm from the active region Orion KL were carried out at epoch 2011.7 on the Svetloe-Zelenchukskaya radio interferometer. The observational data have been processed on the correlator of the QUASAR network. Fragments of the structure have been identified; the line velocities and profile widths and the emission polarization have been determined. The component at the radial velocity V = 7.0 km s⁻¹ has been taken as a reference one. Its effective size in the Gaussian approximation is 1.5 mas, the axial ratio is Major/Minor = 3.3, and the orientation is PA = 11°. The component V = 7.6 km s⁻¹ corresponds to a bipolar outflow with an effective size of 6.2 mas, the axial ratio is Major/Minor = 5.3, and the orientation −32°. The bipolar outflow is 10 mas away from the reference feature in the direction of 173°. The longitudinal velocity components of the NW and SE parts of the bipolar outflow in the local standard of rest are +0.15 and −0.15 km s⁻¹, respectively. The degrees of polarization of the emission from the reference feature (7.0 km s⁻¹) and the bipolar outflow are m = 39 and 52%, respectively. The difference in polarization orientations of both components Δ _χ does not exceed 3°.