Multiwaveband polarimetric observations of NRAO 530 on parsec-scale

We report on Very Long Baseline Array polarimetric observations of NRAO 530 at 5, 8, 15, 22 and 43 GHz made during one week in 1997 February. We present the total intensity, the fractional polarization and the electric vector position angle (EVPA) distributions at all these frequencies. A model fitting has been performed to the full polarization visibility data. From this, the fitted southernmost component A is confirmed as the core of the radio structure with relatively high brightness temperature and hard spectrum between 15 and 43 GHz in comparison with the central component B of dominant flux. The relatively high degree of polarization for the component A may arise from its complex radio structure, which can be resolved at 86 GHz. In contrast, the component B shows a well-fitted power-law spectrum with a spectral index of about-0.5 (f alpha V(alpha)), and a linear correlation between EVPAs andwavelength square with an observed rotation measure of about -1062 rad m(2), indicating its structural singleness. Assuming that the component B has a comparable degree of polarization without depolarization at these frequencies, the decrease in fractional polarization with wavelength mainly results from opacity and Faraday rotation, in which the opacity plays quite a large role. A spine-sheath-like structure in fractional polarization (m) is detected, covering almost the whole emission region at 5 and 8 GHz, with a degree of polarization relatively low along the jet spine, becoming higher towards two sides of the jet. The linear polarization at 5 GHz shows three separate polarized emission regions with alternately aligned and orthogonal polarization vectors down the jet. The polarization goes to zero between the top two regions, with the highest polarization level occurring at the top and bottom. The 5- and 8-GHz images show EVPA changes across the width of the jet as well as along the jet. These complex polarimetric properties can be explained in terms of either the presence of a large helical magnetic field or tangled magnetic fields compressed and sheared down the jet. These can be further determined by multifrequency polarimetric very long baseline interferometry observations with sufficient high resolution and sensitivity spanning an appropriate frequency range.