Local circumstellar magnetic fields around evolved stars

I argue that the presence of magnetic fields around evolved stars, e.g. asymptotic giant branch stars, and in planetary nebulae, does not necessarily imply that the magnetic field plays a global dynamical role in shaping the circumstellar envelope. Instead, I favour magnetic fields with small coherence lengths, which result from stellar magnetic spots or from jets blown by an accreting companion. Although the magnetic field does not play a global role in shaping the circumstellar envelope, it may enhance local motion (turbulent) via magnetic tension and reconnection. The locally strong magnetic tension may enforce coherence flow, which may favour the masing process.