# A Submillimeter Polarization Analysis of Frosty Leo

## TL;DR

This study investigates the polarization properties of the protoplanetary nebula Frosty Leo using submillimeter observations, revealing marginal polarization detections and modeling its complex structures, but with limited magnetic field insights.

## Contribution

First polarimetric analysis of Frosty Leo at submillimeter wavelengths, combining polarization detection with spatio-kinematic modeling of nebular structures.

## Key findings

- Detected marginal polarization in continuum and CO line emissions.
- Identified three main nebular structures: a distorted torus, bipolar outflow, and a spherical cap.
- Polarized emission likely originates from the torus and outflow components.

## Abstract

We present a polarimetric investigation of the protoplanetary nebula Frosty Leo performed with the Submillimeter Array. We were able to detect, in the low continuum level (peak at 14.4 mJy beam$^{-1}$), a marginal polarization at $\sim2.6\sigma$. The molecular line investigation based on the CO $J=3\rightarrow2$ emission shows a peak emission of 68.1 Jy beam$^{-1}$ km s$^{-1}$ and the polarization detection in this CO line is also marginal, with a peak at $\sim3.8\sigma$. In both cases, it was therefore not possible to use the electric vector maps (B-field) to accurately trace the magnetic field (B-field) within the PPN. The spatio-kinematic modelling realised with the different velocity channel maps indicates three main structures: a distorted torus accompanied by a bipolar outflow or jet aligned with its axis and a flattened spherical "cap". The comparison of the CO polarization segments with our model suggests that the polarized emission probably arises in the first two components.