Particle Acceleration and Depolarization in the Protostellar Jet Knots HH 80 and HH 81

Abstract

Linearly polarized emission is a powerful tracer of magnetic field geometry and particle acceleration in protostellar jets. We present a polarimetric study of the Herbig–Haro (HH) objects HH 80 and HH 81, where nonthermal emission has been confirmed through spectral index measurements at low frequencies. We carried out observations of HH 80 and HH 81 with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array at 4–6 GHz. Unlike the inner jet knots, no linear polarization is detected towards the knots HH 80 and HH 81. We place a 3σ upper limit of 30 μJy on the polarization intensity, corresponding to fractional polarization limits of max 0.02 and 0.01 for HH 80 and HH 81, respectively. To interpret this nondetection, we assess the conditions for synchrotron polarization and the impact of depolarization mechanisms. The shock cooling parameter χs is lower in these outermost HH objects than in the inner knots, indicating that the reverse shocks in HH 80–81 are less efficient at accelerating relativistic electrons compared with the inner knots. Moreover, Faraday depolarization appears severe: the dispersion in the estimated rotation measure (RM) σRM ∼ 400 rad m−2 is comparable to or larger than observed RM values themselves. This is consistent with strong fluctuations and turbulence. Together with beam depolarization, these effects can suppress the observable fractional polarization flux densities below the detectable thresholds. We conclude that reduced acceleration efficiency (when compared to inner knots) and strong depolarization account for the absence of polarized emission towards HH 80 and HH 81.