Maser Polarization with ALMA

Other conference contribution, 2012

Once ALMA full polarization capabilities are offered, (sub-)mm polarization studies will enter a new era. It will become possible to perform detailed studies of polarized maser emission towards for example massive star forming regions and late-type stars such as (post-) Asymptotic Giant Branch stars and young Planetary Nebulae. In these environments, SiO, H2O and HCN are molecules that can naturally generate polarized maser emission observable by ALMA. The maser polarization can then be used to derive the strength and morphology of the magnetic field in the masing regions. However, in order to derive, in particular, the magnetic field orientation from maser linear polarization, a number of conditions involving the rate of stimulated emission, molecular state decay and Zeeman splitting need to be satisfied. In this work, we discuss these conditions for the maser transitions in the ALMA frequency range and highlight the optimum transitions to further our understanding of star formation and evolved star magnetic fields.