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Massive star winds are structured both stochastically ('clumps') and often coherently (Co-rotation Interaction Regions, or CIRs). Evidence for CIRs threading the winds of Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars arises from multiple diagnostics including linear polarimetry. Some observations indicate changes in polarization position angle across optical recombination emission lines from a WR star wind but limited to blueshifted Doppler velocities. We explore a model involving a spherical wind with a single conical CIR stemming from a rotating star as qualitative proof-of-concept. To obtain a realistic distribution of limb polarization and limb darkening across the pseudo-photosphere formed in the optically thick wind of a WR star, we used Monte Carlo radiative transfer (MCRT). Results are shown for a parameter study. For line properties similar to WR 6 (EZ CMa; HD 50896), combining the MCRT results, a simple model for the CIR, and the Sobolev approximation for the line formation, we were able to reproduce variations in both polarization amplitude and position angle commensurate with observations. Characterizing CIRs in WR winds has added importance for providing stellar rotation periods since the v sin i values are unobtainable because the pseudo-photosphere forms in the wind itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent large-scale spectropolarimetric surveys have established that a small but significant percentage of massive stars host stable, surface dipolar magnetic fields with strengths on the order of kG. These fields channel the dense, radiatively driven stellar wind into circumstellar magnetospheres, whose density and velocity structure can be probed using ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy of wind-sensitive resonance lines. Coupled with appropriate magnetosphere models, UV spectroscopy provides a valuable way to investigate the wind–field interaction, and can yield quantitative estimates of the wind parameters of magnetic massive stars. We report a systematic investigation of the formation of UV resonance lines in slowly rotating magnetic massive stars with dynamical magnetospheres. We pair the analytic dynamical magnetosphere (ADM) formalism with a simplified radiative transfer technique to produce synthetic UV line profiles. Using a grid of models, we examine the effect of magnetosphere size, the line strength parameter, and the cooling parameter on the structure and modulation of the line profile. We find that magnetic massive stars uniquely exhibit redshifted absorption at most viewing angles and magnetosphere sizes, and that significant changes to the shape and variation of the line profile with varying line strengths can be explained by examining the individual wind components described in the ADM formalism. Finally, we show that the cooling parameter has a negligible effect on the line profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present results from the spectropolarimetric follow-up of photometrically selected candidate magnetic B stars from the MOBSTER (Magnetic OB[A] Stars with TESS : probing their Evolutionary and Rotational properties) project. Out of four observed targets, one (HD 38170) is found to host a detectable surface magnetic field, with a maximum longitudinal field measurement of 105 ± 14 G. This star is chemically peculiar and classified as an α2 CVn variable. Its detection validates the use of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to perform a photometric selection of magnetic candidates. Furthermore, upper limits on the strength of a putative dipolar magnetic field are derived for the remaining three stars, and we report the discovery of a previously unknown spectroscopic binary system, HD 25709. Finally, we use our non-detections as case studies to further inform the criteria to be used for the selection of a larger sample of stars to be followed up using high-resolution spectropolarimetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NGC 1624−2 is the most strongly magnetized O-type star known. Previous spectroscopic observations of this object in the ultraviolet provided evidence that it hosts a large and dense circumstellar magnetosphere. Follow-up observations obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope not only confirm that previous inference, but also suggest that NGC 1624−2's magnetosphere has a complex structure. Furthermore, an expanded spectropolarimetric time series shows a potential departure from a dipolar magnetic field geometry, which could mean that the strongest field detected at the surface of an O-type star is also topologically complex. This result raises important questions regarding the origin and evolution of magnetic fields in massive stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent BRITE-Constellation space photometry of the slowly rotating, magnetic β Cep pulsator ξ1 CMa permits a new analysis of its pulsation properties. Analysis of the two-colour BRITE data reveals the well-known single pulsation period of 0.209 d, along with its first and second harmonics. A similar analysis of SMEI and TESS observations yields compatible results, with the higher precision TESS observations also revealing several low-amplitude modes with frequencies below 5 d−1; some of these are likely g modes. The phase lag between photometric and radial velocity maxima – equal to 0.334 cycles – is significantly larger than the typical value of 1/4 observed in other large-amplitude β Cep stars. The phase lag, as well as the strong dependence of phase of maximum light on wavelength, can be reconciled with seismic models only if the dominant mode is the fundamental radial mode. We employ all published photometric and radial velocity measurements, spanning over a century, to evaluate the stability of the pulsation period. The O − C diagram exhibits a clear parabolic shape consistent with a mean rate of period change |$\dot{P}=0.34\pm 0.02$|  s cen−1. The residuals from the best-fitting parabola exhibit scatter that is substantially larger than the uncertainties. In particular, dense sampling obtained during the past ∼20 yr suggests more complex and rapid period variations. Those data cannot be coherently phased with the mean rate of period change, and instead require |$\dot{P}\sim 0.9$|  s cen−1. We examine the potential contributions of binarity, stellar evolution, and stellar rotation and magnetism to understand the apparent period evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present high-resolution HST/COS observations of the extreme magnetic O star NGC 1624-2. These represent the first ultraviolet spectra of this archetypal object. We examine the variability of its wind-sensitive resonance lines, comparing it to that of other known magnetic O stars. In particular, the observed variations in the profiles of the C   iv and Si   iv doublets between low state and high state are the largest observed in any magnetic O-type star, consistent with the expected properties of NGC 1624-2's magnetosphere. We also observe a redshifted absorption component in the low state, a feature not seen in most stars. We present preliminary modelling efforts based on the Analytic Dynamical Magnetosphere (ADM) formalism, demonstrating the necessity of using non-spherically symmetric models to determine wind/magnetospheric properties of magnetic O stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]