Search

Context. The fact that the rotation periods of Ap stars span five to six orders of magnitude and that the longest ones reach several hundred years represents one of the main unsolved challenges of stellar physics. Aims. Our goal is to gain better understanding of the occurrence and properties of the longest period Ap stars. Methods. We obtained high resolution spectra of a sample of super-slowly rotating Ap (ssrAp) star candidates identified by a TESS photometric survey to confirm that they are indeed Ap stars, to check that their projected equatorial velocities are compatible with super-slow rotation, and to obtain a first estimate of their magnetic field strengths. For the confirmed Ap stars, we determined whenever possible their mean magnetic field modulus, their mean quadratic magnetic field, and an upper limit of their projected equatorial velocities. Results. Eighteen of the 27 stars studied are typical Ap stars; most of the other nine appear to be misclassified. One of the Ap stars is not a slow rotator; it must be seen nearly pole-on. The properties of the remaining 17 are compatible with moderately to extremely long rotation periods. Eight new stars with resolved magnetically split lines in the visible range were discovered; their mean magnetic field modulus and their mean quadratic magnetic field were measured. The mean quadratic field could also be determined in five more stars. Five spectroscopic binaries containing an Ap star, which were not previously known, were identified. Among the misclassified stars, one double-lined spectroscopic binary with two similar, sharp-lined Am components was also discovered. Conclusions. The technique that we used to carry out a search for ssrAp star candidates using TESS data is validated. Its main limitation appears to arise from uncertainties in the spectral classification of Ap stars. The new magnetic field measurements obtained as part of this study lend further support to the tentative conclusions of our previous studies: the absence of periods Prot ≳ 150 d in stars with B0 ≳ 7.5 kG, the lower rate of occurrence of super-slow rotation for field strengths B0 ≲ 2 kG than in the range 3 kG ≲ B0 ≲ 7.5 kG, and the deficiency of slowly rotating Ap stars with (phase-averaged) field strengths between ∼2 and ∼3 kG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Starspots, regions of strong magnetic fields, serve as indicators of stellar activity and the dynamo mechanism at play in the interior of stars. The magnetic fields of main-sequence stars play a crucial role in driving stellar activity. An effective approach to better understanding stellar magnetic fields and activity lies in the detailed characterisation of starspot properties. Aims. We propose a new method for estimating the magnetic fields of starspots that employs modelling techniques of planetary transit mapping, which provides estimates of the size, intensity, and location of spots on the stellar photosphere. Methods. A starspot's maximum magnetic field was calculated using the linear relationship with the spot flux deficit, ΔFspot (the spot's brightness times its area) and the well-characterised relation for sunspots determined in this work, Bspot = 1170 + 844log Δ​Fspot (G). Results. Applying this relationship to previously mapped spots on the photospheres of 14 FGK and M stars yields spot maximum magnetic fields ranging from 2700 G to 4600 G, with an overall average of 3900 ± 400 G. We looked for correlations between starspot magnetic fields and stellar properties. We did not find any correlation between a spot's mean extreme magnetic field and effective temperature, nor the differential shear. However, a weak anti-correlation is seen between the spots' magnetic field and stellar age as well as between the magnetic field and the rotation period. Conclusions. When compared with previous results of small-scale magnetic field measurements, the B values obtained here are basically constant and near the saturation limit found for rapid rotators. This implies that it is not the intensity of the magnetic field of starspots that decreases with age but rather the filling factor. This result offers a unique window into the magnetic dynamo of stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At metallicities lower than that of the Small Magellanic Cloud, it remains essentially unexplored how fossil magnetic fields, forming large-scale magnetospheres, could affect the evolution of massive stars, thereby impacting the fundamental building blocks of the early Universe. We extend our stellar evolution model grid with representative calculations of main-sequence, single-star models with initial masses of 20 and 60 M |$_\odot$|⁠ , including appropriate changes for low-metallicity environments (⁠|$Z = 10^{-3}$| – |$10^{-6}$|⁠). We scrutinize the magnetic, rotational, and chemical properties of the models. When lowering the metallicity, the rotational velocities can become higher and the tendency towards quasi-chemically homogeneous evolution increases. While magnetic fields aim to prevent the development of this evolutionary channel, the weakening stellar winds lead to less efficient magnetic braking in our models. Since the stellar radius is almost constant during a blueward evolution caused by efficient chemical mixing, the surface magnetic field strength remains unchanged in some models. We find core masses at the terminal-age main sequence between 22 and 52 M |$_\odot$| for initially 60 M |$_\odot$| models. This large difference is due to the vastly different chemical and rotational evolution. We conclude that in order to explain chemical species and, in particular, high nitrogen abundances in the early Universe, the adopted stellar models need to be under scrutiny. The assumptions regarding wind physics, chemical mixing, and magnetic fields will strongly impact the model predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are cosmological radio transients with millisecond durations and extremely high brightness temperatures. One FRB repeater, FRB 180916.J0158+65 (FRB 180916B), was confirmed to appear 16.35-day periodic activities with 5-day activity window. Another FRB repeater, FRB 121102, and two soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs), SGR 1935+2154 and SGR 1806−20, also show possible periodic activities. These periodicities might originate from the precession process of young magnetars due to the anisotropic pressure from the inner magnetic fields as proposed in the literature. In this work, we analyse a self-consistent model for the rotation evolution of magnetars and obtain the evolutions of magnetar precession and obliquity. We find that if the FRB repeaters and the SGRs with (possible) periodic activities originate from the magnetar precession, their ages would be constrained to be hundreds to tens of thousands of years, which is consistent with the typical ages of magnetars. Assuming that the FRB emission is beaming in the magnetosphere as proposed in the literature, we calculate the evolution of the observable probability and the duty cycle of the active window period. We find that for a given magnetar the observable probability increases with the magnetar age in the early stage and decreases with the magnetar age in the later stage; meanwhile, there are one or two active windows in one precession period if the emission is not perfectly axisymmetric with respect to the deformation axis of a magnetar, which could be tested by the future observation for repeating FRB sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the magnetic field components measured by Zeeman Doppler imaging (ZDI) to calculate the stellar surface force and torque due to magnetic stresses for the fast rotators σ Ori E, 36 Lyn, and CU Vir, and the slow rotator τ Sco. If we assume the stars have spherical photospheres, the estimated torques give spin-down time-scales no larger than 7 × 105 yr. For σ Ori E, the predicted spin-down time-scale, ≃ 6000 yr, is much less than the observationally measured time-scale of ≃ 106 yr. However, for CU Vir, we find that the spin-down time-scale from its ZDI map is 7 × 105 yr in good agreement with its average rate of spin-down from 1960 to 2010. With the exception of τ Sco, the net force due to magnetic stresses at the stellar surface are large compared to the surface-integrated pressure. We discuss possible reasons for the large values of the forces (and torques), and suggest that the likely explanation is that rotation and the magnetic stresses create significant departures from spherical symmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the mission's primary goal was focused on exoplanet detection and characterization, Kepler made and continues to make extraordinary advances in stellar physics. Stellar rotation and magnetic activity are no exceptions. Kepler allowed for these properties to be determined for tens of thousands of stars from the main sequence up to the red giant branch. From photometry, this can be achieved by investigating the brightness fluctuations due to active regions, which cause surface inhomogeneities, or through asteroseismology as oscillation modes are sensitive to rotation and magnetic fields. This review summarizes the rotation and magnetic activity properties of the single main-sequence solar-like stars within the Kepler field. We contextualize the Kepler sample by comparing it to known transitions in the stellar rotation and magnetic-activity evolution, such as the convergence to the rotation sequence (from the saturated to the unsaturated regime of magnetic activity) and the Vaughan-Preston gap. While reviewing the publicly available data, we also uncover one interesting finding related to the intermediate-rotation gap seen in Kepler and other surveys. We find evidence for this rotation gap in previous ground-based data for the X-ray luminosity. Understanding the complex evolution and interplay between rotation and magnetic activity in solar-like stars is crucial, as it sheds light on fundamental processes governing stellar evolution, including the evolution of our own Sun. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-type stars form with a wide range of rotation rates Ω. A wide Ω range persists until a stellar age of t  ∼ 0.6 Gyr, after which solar-type stars exhibit Skumanich spin-down where Ω ∝  t −1/2. Rotational evolution models incorporating polytropic stellar winds struggle to simultaneously reproduce these two regimes, namely the initially wide Ω range and the Skumanich spin-down without imposing an a priori cap on the wind mass-loss rate. We show that a three-dimensional wind model driven by Alfvén waves and observational data yields wind torques that agree with the observed age distribution of Ω. In our models of the Sun and 27 open cluster stars aged from 0.04 to 0.6 Gyr that have observationally derived surface magnetic maps and rotation rates, we find evidence of exponential spin-down in young stars that are rapid rotators and Skumanich spin-down for slow rotators. The two spin-down regimes emerge naturally from our data-driven models. Our modelling suggests that the observed age distribution of stellar rotation rates Ω arises as a consequence of magnetic field strength saturation in rapid rotators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong magnetic fields are expected to significantly modify the pulsation frequencies of waves propagating in the cores of red giants or in the radiative envelopes of intermediate- and high-mass main-sequence stars. We calculate the g-mode frequencies of stars with magnetic dipole fields which are aligned with their rotational axes, treating both the Lorentz and Coriolis forces non-perturbatively. We provide a compact asymptotic formula for the g-mode period spacing and universally find that strong magnetism decreases this period spacing substantially more than is predicted by perturbation theory. These results are validated with explicit numerical mode calculations for realistic stellar models. The approach we present is highly versatile: once the eigenvalues λ of a certain differential operator are pre-computed as a function of the magnetogravity and rotational frequencies (in units of the mode frequency), the non-perturbative impact of the Coriolis and Lorentz forces is understood under a broad domain of validity and is readily incorporated into asteroseismic modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the mission’s primary goal was focused on exoplanet detection and characterization, Kepler made and continues to make extraordinary advances in stellar physics. Stellar rotation and magnetic activity are no exceptions. Kepler allowed for these properties to be determined for tens of thousands of stars from the main sequence up to the red giant branch. From photometry, this can be achieved by investigating the brightness fluctuations due to active regions, which cause surface inhomogeneities, or through asteroseismology as oscillation modes are sensitive to rotation and magnetic fields. This review summarizes the rotation and magnetic activity properties of the single main-sequence solar-like stars within the Kepler field. We contextualize the Kepler sample by comparing it to known transitions in the stellar rotation and magnetic-activity evolution, such as the convergence to the rotation sequence (from the saturated to the unsaturated regime of magnetic activity) and the Vaughan-Preston gap. While reviewing the publicly available data, we also uncover one interesting finding related to the intermediate-rotation gap seen in Kepler and other surveys. We find evidence for this rotation gap in previous ground-based data for the X-ray luminosity. Understanding the complex evolution and interplay between rotation and magnetic activity in solar-like stars is crucial, as it sheds light on fundamental processes governing stellar evolution, including the evolution of our own Sun.

Recent asteroseismic measurements have revealed a small population of stars in close binaries, containing primaries with extremely slow rotation rates. Such stars defy the standard expectation of tidal synchronization in such systems, but they can potentially be explained if they are trapped in a spin-orbit equilibrium known as Cassini state 2 (CS2). This state is maintained by orbital precession due to an outer tertiary star, and it typically results in a very sub-synchronous rotation rate and high degree of spin-orbit misalignment. We examine how CS2 is affected by magnetic braking and different types of tidal dissipation. Magnetic braking results in a slower equilibrium rotation rate, while tidal dissipation via gravity waves can result in a slightly higher rotation rate than predicted by equilibrium tidal theory, and dissipation via inertial waves can result in much slower rotation rates. For seven binary systems with slowly rotating primaries, we predict the location of the outer tertiary predicted by the CS2 theory. In five of these systems, a tertiary companion has already been detected, although it is closer than expected in three of these, potentially indicating tidal dissipation via inertial waves. We also identify a few new candidate systems among a population of eclipsing binaries with rotation measurements via spot modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present near-infrared spectropolarimetric observations of a sample of 43 weakly to moderately active M dwarfs, carried with SPIRou at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope in the framework of the SPIRou Legacy Survey from early 2019 to mid-2022. We use the 6700 circularly polarised spectra collected for this sample to investigate the longitudinal magnetic field and its temporal variations for all sample stars, from which we diagnose, through quasi-periodic Gaussian process regression, the periodic modulation and longer-term fluctuations of the longitudinal field. We detect the large-scale field for 40 of our 43 sample stars, and infer a reliable or tentative rotation period for 38 of them, using a Bayesian framework to diagnose the confidence level at which each rotation period is detected. We find rotation periods ranging from 14 to over 60 d for the early-M dwarfs, and from 70 to 200 d for most mid- and late-M dwarfs (potentially up to 430 d for one of them). We also find that the strength of the detected large-scale fields does not decrease with increasing period or Rossby number for the slowly rotating dwarfs of our sample as it does for higher-mass, more active stars, suggesting that these magnetic fields may be generated through a different dynamo regime than those of more rapidly rotating stars. We also show that the large-scale fields of most sample stars evolve on long time-scales, with some of them globally switching sign as stars progress on their putative magnetic cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-type stars, which shed angular momentum via magnetized stellar winds, enter the main sequence with a wide range of rotational periods P rot. This initially wide range of rotational periods contracts and has mostly vanished by a stellar age |$t\sim {0.6}\, {\rm Gyr}$|⁠ , after which Solar-type stars spin according to the Skumanich relation |$P_\text{rot}\propto \sqrt{t}$|⁠. Magnetohydrodynamic stellar wind models can improve our understanding of this convergence of rotation periods. We present wind models of 15 young Solar-type stars aged ∼24 Myr to ∼0.13 Gyr. With our previous wind models of stars aged ∼0.26 and ∼0.6 Gyr we obtain 30 consistent three-dimensional wind models of stars mapped with Zeeman–Doppler imaging – the largest such set to date. The models provide good cover of the pre-Skumanich phase of stellar spin-down in terms of rotation, magnetic field, and age. We find the mass-loss rate |$\dot{M}\propto \Phi ^{{0.9\pm 0.1}}$| with a residual spread of ∼150 per cent and the wind angular momentum loss rate |$\dot{J}\propto {}P_\text{rot}^{-1} \Phi ^{1.3\pm 0.2}$| with a residual spread of ∼500 per cent where Φ is the unsigned surface magnetic flux. When comparing different magnetic field scalings for each single star we find a gradual reduction in the power-law exponent with increasing magnetic field strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like the solar cycle, stellar activity cycles are also irregular. Observations reveal that rapidly rotating (young) Sun-like stars exhibit a high level of activity with no Maunder-like grand minima and rarely display smooth regular activity cycles. On the other hand, slowly rotating old stars like the Sun have low activity levels and smooth cycles with occasional grand minima. We, for the first time, try to model these observational trends using flux transport dynamo models. Following previous works, we build kinematic dynamo models of one solar mass star with different rotation rates. Differential rotation and meridional circulation are specified with a mean-field hydrodynamic model. We include stochastic fluctuations in the Babcock–Leighton source of the poloidal field to capture the inherent fluctuations in the stellar convection. Based on extensive simulations, we find that rapidly rotating stars produce highly irregular cycles with strong magnetic fields and rarely produce Maunder-like grand minima, whereas the slowly rotating stars (with a rotation period of 10 d and longer) produce smooth cycles of weaker strength, long-term modulation in the amplitude, and occasional extended grand minima. The average duration and the frequency of grand minima increase with decreasing rotation rate. These results can be understood as the tendency of less supercritical dynamo in slower rotating stars to be more prone to produce extended grand minima. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the unexpected discovery of fast radio bursts (FRBs), researchers have proposed varied theories and models to explain these phenomena. One such model that has recently been developed incorporates the so-called Gertsenshtein–Zel'dovich (GZ) effect, which states that when gravitational waves traverse a pulsar magnetosphere, a portion of the gravitational radiation is transformed into electromagnetic (EM) radiation. The observed properties of FRBs are consistent with the properties of this EM radiation, implying, remarkably, that the GZ effect can account for both repeating and non-repeating FRBs. If this model is correct, the pulsar's properties should not change over time, and it would continue to emit both EM dipole and gravitational quadrupole radiation for a long period of time. This article targets the gravitational radiation produced by the pulsar mechanism and shows that several proposed gravitational wave detectors can detect these gravitational waves. If such detections are performed in the future from the location of FRBs, it might validate the GZ process for FRB production and potentially rule out several other theories of FRB generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review has two parts. The first one is devoted to the Barbier–Chalonge–Divan (BCD) spectrophotometric system, also known as the Paris spectral classification system. Although the BCD system has been applied and is still used for all stellar objects from O to F spectral types, the present account mainly concerns normal and 'active' B-type stars. The second part treats topics related to stellar rotation, considered one of the key phenomena determining the structure and evolution of stars. The first part is eminently observational. In contrast, the second part deals with observational aspects related to stellar rotation but also recalls some supporting or basic theoretical concepts that may help better understand the gains and shortcomings of today's existent interpretation of stellar data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The amplitude and morphology of light curves of Sun-like stars change substantially with increasing rotation rate: brightness variations are amplified and become more regular. This has not been explained so far. Aims. We develop a modelling approach for calculating brightness variations of stars with various rotation rates and use it to explain the observed trends in stellar photometric variability. Methods. We combined numerical simulations of magnetic flux emergence and transport with a model for stellar brightness variability to calculate synthetic light curves of stars as observed by the Kepler telescope. We computed the distribution of the magnetic flux on the stellar surface for various rotation rates and degrees of active-region nesting (i.e. the tendency of active regions to emerge in the vicinity of recently emerged regions). Using the resulting maps of the magnetic flux, we computed the rotational variability of our simulated stellar light curves as a function of rotation rate and nesting of magnetic features and compared our calculations to Kepler observations. Results. We show that both the rotation rate and the degree of nesting have a strong impact on the amplitude and morphology of stellar light curves. In order to explain the variability of most of the Kepler targets with known rotation rates, we need to increase the degree of nesting to values that are much higher than the values on the Sun. Conclusions. The suggested increase in nesting with the rotation rate can provide clues about the flux emergence process for high levels of stellar activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kepler mission revealed a plethora of stellar variability in the light curves of many stars, some associated with magnetic activity or stellar oscillations. In this work, we analyse the periodic signal in 162 intermediate-mass stars, interpreted as Rossby modes and rotational modulation – the so-called hump and spike feature. We investigate whether the rotational modulation (spike) is due to stellar spots caused by magnetic fields or due to Overstable Convective (OsC) modes resonantly exciting g modes, with frequencies corresponding to the convective core rotation rate. Assuming that the spikes are created by magnetic spots at the stellar surface, we recover the amplitudes of the magnetic fields, which are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. Our data show a clear anticorrelation between the spike amplitudes and stellar mass and possibly a correlation with stellar age, consistent with the dynamo-generated magnetic fields theory in (sub)-surface convective layers. Investigating the harmonic behaviour, we find that for 125 stars neither of the two possible explanations can be excluded. While our results suggest that the dynamo-generated magnetic field scenario is more likely to explain the spike feature, we assess further work is needed to distinguish between the two scenarios. One method for ruling out one of the two explanations is to directly observe magnetic fields in hump and spike stars. Another would be to impose additional constraints through detailed modelling of our stars, regarding the rotation requirement in the OsC mode scenario or the presence of a convective-core (stellar age). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We model helium-rich stars with solar metallicity (X  = 0.7, Z  = 0.02) progenitors that evolve to form AM Canum Venaticorum systems through a helium-star formation channel, with the aim to explain the observed properties of Gaia14aae and ZTFJ1637+49. We show that semidegenerate, H-exhausted (X ≤ 10−5), He-rich (Y ≈ 0.98) donors can be formed after a common envelope evolution (CEE) phase if either additional sources of energy are used to eject the common envelope, or a different formalism of CEE is implemented. We follow the evolution of such binary systems after the CEE phase using the Cambridge stellar evolution code when they consist of a He-star and a white dwarf accretor, and report that the mass, radius, and mass-transfer rate of the donor, the orbital period of the system, and the lack of hydrogen in the spectrum of Gaia14aae and ZTFJ1637+49 match well with our modelled trajectories wherein, after the CEE phase Roche lobe overflow is governed not only by the angular momentum loss (AML) owing to gravitational wave radiation (AMLGR) but also an additional AML owing to α–Ω dynamos in the donor. This additional AML is modelled with our double-dynamo (DD) model of magnetic braking in the donor star. We explain that this additional AML is just a consequence of extending the DD model from canonical cataclysmic variable donors to evolved donors. We show that none of our modelled trajectories match with Gaia14aae or ZTFJ1637+49 if the systems are modelled only with AMLGR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We search for merger products among the 25 most massive white dwarfs in the Montreal White Dwarf Database 100 pc sample through follow-up spectroscopy and high-cadence photometry. We find an unusually high fraction, 40 per cent, of magnetic white dwarfs among this population. In addition, we identify four outliers in transverse velocity and detect rapid rotation in five objects. Our results show that |$56^{+9}_{-10}$|  per cent of the |$M\approx 1.3\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$| ultramassive white dwarfs form through mergers. This fraction is significantly higher than expected from the default binary population synthesis calculations using the α prescription (with αλ = 2), and provides further support for efficient orbital shrinkage, such as with low values of the common-envelope efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We constrain the orbital period (P orb) distribution of low-mass detached main-sequence eclipsing binaries (EBs) with light-curves from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), which provides a well-understood selection function and sensitivity to faint stars. At short periods (P orb ≲ 2 d), binaries are predicted to evolve significantly due to magnetic braking (MB), which shrinks orbits and ultimately brings detached binaries into contact. The period distribution is thus a sensitive probe of MB. We find that the intrinsic period distribution of low-mass (0.1 ≲ M 1/M⊙ < 0.9) binaries is basically flat (⁠|${\rm d}N/{\rm d}P_{\rm orb} \propto P_{\rm orb}^0$|⁠) from P orb = 10 d down to the contact limit. This is strongly inconsistent with predictions of classical MB models based on the Skumanich relation, which are widely used in binary evolution calculations and predict |${\rm d}N/{\rm d}P_{\rm orb} \propto P_{\rm orb}^{7/3}$| at short periods. The observed distributions are best reproduced by models in which the magnetic field saturates at short periods with a MB torque that scales roughly as |$\dot{J}\propto P_{\rm orb}^{-1}$|⁠ , as opposed to |$\dot{J} \propto P_{\rm orb}^{-3}$| in the standard Skumanich law. We also find no significant difference between the period distributions of binaries containing fully and partially convective stars. Our results confirm that a saturated MB law, which was previously found to describe the spin-down of rapidly rotating isolated M dwarfs, also operates in tidally locked binaries. We advocate using saturated MB models in binary evolution calculations. Our work supports previous suggestions that MB in cataclysmic variables (CVs) is much weaker than assumed in the standard evolutionary model, unless mass transfer leads to significant additional angular momentum loss in CVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the end of 2018, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has provided stellar photometry to the astronomical community. We have used TESS data to study rotational modulation in the light curves of a sample of chemically peculiar stars with measured large-scale magnetic fields (mCP stars). In general, mCP stars show inhomogeneous distributions of elements in their atmospheres that lead to spectroscopic (line profile) and photometric (light curve) variations commensurate with the rotational period. We analyzed the available TESS data from 50 sectors for eight targets after post-processing them in order to minimize systematic instrumental trends. Analysis of the light curves allowed us to determine rotational periods for all eight of our targets. For each star, we provide a phase diagram calculated using the derived period from the light curves and from the available measurements of the disc-averaged longitudinal magnetic field 〈 B z〉. In most cases, the phased light curve and 〈 B z〉 measurements show consistent variability. Using our rotation periods, and global stellar parameters derived from fitting Balmer line profiles, and from Geneva and Strömgren–Crawford photometry, we determined the equatorial rotational velocities and calculated the respective critical rotational fractions v eq/ v crit. We have shown from our sample that the critical rotational fraction decreases with stellar age, at a rate consistent with the magnetic braking observed in the larger population of mCP stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measure star-spot filling fractions for 240 stars in the Pleiades and M67 open star clusters using APOGEE high-resolution H -band spectra. For this work, we developed a modified spectroscopic pipeline which solves for star-spot filling fraction and star-spot temperature contrast. We exclude binary stars, finding that the large majority of binaries in these clusters (80 per cent) can be identified from Gaia DR3 and APOGEE criteria – important for field star applications. Our data agree well with independent activity proxies, indicating that this technique recovers real star-spot signals. In the Pleiades, filling fractions saturate at a mean level of 0.248 ± 0.005 for active stars with a decline at slower rotation; we present fitting functions as a function of Rossby number. In M67, we recover low mean filling fractions of 0.030 ± 0.008 and 0.003 ± 0.002 for main sequence GK stars and evolved red giants, respectively, confirming that the technique does not produce spurious spot signals in inactive stars. Star-spots also modify the derived spectroscopic effective temperatures and convective overturn time-scales. Effective temperatures for active stars are offset from inactive ones by −109 ± 11 K, in agreement with the Pecaut & Mamajek empirical scale. Star-spot filling fractions at the level measured in active stars changes their inferred overturn time-scale, which biases the derived threshold for saturation. Finally, we identify a population of stars statistically discrepant from mean activity–Rossby relations and present evidence that these are genuine departures from a Rossby scaling. Our technique is applicable to the full APOGEE catalogue, with broad applications to stellar, galactic, and exoplanetary astrophysics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic fields can drastically change predictions of evolutionary models of massive stars via mass-loss quenching, magnetic braking, and efficient angular momentum transport, which we aim to quantify in this work. We use the mesa software instrument to compute an extensive main-sequence grid of stellar structure and evolution models, as well as isochrones, accounting for the effects attributed to a surface fossil magnetic field. The grid is densely populated in initial mass (3–60 M⊙), surface equatorial magnetic field strength (0–50 kG), and metallicity (representative of the Solar neighbourhood and the Magellanic Clouds). We use two magnetic braking and two chemical mixing schemes and compare the model predictions for slowly rotating, nitrogen-enriched ('Group 2') stars with observations in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We quantify a range of initial field strengths that allow for producing Group 2 stars and find that typical values (up to a few kG) lead to solutions. Between the subgrids, we find notable departures in surface abundances and evolutionary paths. In our magnetic models, chemical mixing is always less efficient compared to non-magnetic models due to the rapid spin-down. We identify that quasi-chemically homogeneous main sequence evolution by efficient mixing could be prevented by fossil magnetic fields. We recommend comparing this grid of evolutionary models with spectropolarimetric and spectroscopic observations with the goals of (i) revisiting the derived stellar parameters of known magnetic stars, and (ii) observationally constraining the uncertain magnetic braking and chemical mixing schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous observations suggested that Ap and Bp stars exhibit a bimodal distribution of surface magnetic field strengths and that actually only few or no stars exist with magnetic dipole field strengths below 300 G down to a few Gauss. As the number of Ap and Bp stars currently known to possess weak magnetic fields is not large, it is necessary to carry out additional spectropolarimetric studies of Ap and Bp stars to prove whether the assumption of the existence of a critical value for the stability of magnetic fields is realistic. In this study, we present high-resolution HARPSpol magnetic field measurements for a sample of Ap stars with sharp spectral lines with a view to characterize the strengths of their magnetic fields. Out of the studied seven sharp-lined stars, two stars, HD 174779 and HD 203932, exhibit a rather weak longitudinal magnetic field with < B z > = − 45 ± 3 G and < B z > =21 ± 4 G, respectively. Additionally, TESS observations were used to test previous conclusions on the differentiation of rotation periods of Ap and Bp stars. Apart from HD 189832 and HD 203932, all other studied sharp-lined stars have long rotation periods. Since an explanation for the slow rotation of Ap stars is currently missing, additional studies of slowly rotating Ap and Bp stars are necessary to improve our understanding of the formation and evolution of Ap and Bp stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that strongly magnetized and rapidly rotating protoneutron stars (PNSs) may produce long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) originating from stellar core collapse. We explore the steady-state properties and heavy element nucleosynthesis in neutrino-driven winds from such PNSs whose magnetic axis is generally misaligned with the axis of rotation. We consider a wide variety of central engine properties such as surface dipole field strength, initial rotation period, and magnetic obliquity to show that heavy element nuclei can be synthesized in the radially expanding wind. This process is facilitated provided the outflow is Poynting-flux dominated such that its low entropy and fast expansion time-scale enables heavy nuclei to form in a more efficient manner as compared to the equivalent thermal GRB outflows. We also examine the acceleration and survival of these heavy nuclei and show that they can reach sufficiently high energies ≳ 1020 eV within the same physical regions that are also responsible for powering gamma-ray emission, primarily through magnetic dissipation processes. Although these magnetized outflows generally fail to achieve the production of elements heavier than lanthanides for our explored electron fraction range 0.4–0.6, we show that they are more than capable of synthesizing nuclei near and beyond iron peak elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of the starspot properties and chromospheric activity on HD 134319 using high-precision photometry by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in sectors 14–16 (T1) and 21–23 (T2) and high-resolution spectroscopy by the ELODIE spectrograph on 1.93-m telescope of Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP/ELODIE) and the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer on Keck 10-m telescope of W. M. Keck Observatory (Keck/HIRES) during the years 1995–2013. We applied a two-spot model with generalized Lomb–Scargle (GLS) periodogram determined period of P  = 4.436391 ± 0.00137 d to model chunks sliding over TESS light curve. We also measured the relative equivalent widths of Ca ii H and K, Hβ and Hα emissions by subtracting the overall spectrum from individual spectra. It was found that a two-spot configuration, namely a primary, slowly evolving and long-lasting spot (P) plus a secondary, rapidly evolving spot (S), was capable of explaining the data, although the actual starspot distribution cannot be derived from the collected data. Despite the spot radius–latitude degeneracy revealed in the best-fitting solutions, a sudden alternation between P and S radii followed by a gradual decrease of S in T1 and a decrease of both P and S from T1 to T2 were significant, corresponding to the evolution of magnetic activity. In addition, S revealed rotation and an oscillatory longitude migration synchronized to P in T1, but had a much larger migration than P in T2. This might indicate the evolution of the internal magnetic configuration. Chromospheric activity indicators were found to be tightly correlated with each other and revealed rotational modulation as well as a long-term decrease of emissions, implying the existence and evolution of magnetic activity on HD 134319. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We give an updated version of the analytical equation of state used in the Cambridge stellar evolution code (stars) as a free to use open-source package that we have used to model cool white dwarfs (WDs) down to temperatures |$\log _{10}(T_\mathrm{eff}/\mathrm{K})\, =\, 3$|⁠. With this update in the stars code, we model the secular evolution of cataclysmic variable (CV) stars using a double dynamo model wherein there is an interplay between two α − Ω dynamos, one in the convective envelope and the other at the boundary of a slowly rotating shrinking radiative core and the growing convective envelope. We confirm that this model provides a physical formalism for the interrupted magnetic braking paradigm. In addition, our model also provides a mechanism for extra angular momentum loss below the period gap. We construct the relative probability distribution of orbital periods P orb using the mass distribution of WDs in CVs and find that our model excellently reproduces the period gap and the observed period minimum spike in CV distribution. We also compare the evolutionary trajectories from our model with those of other empirical models and find agreement between the two. We also report good agreement between our modelled systems and observational data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We find transient transit-like dimming events within the K2 time series photometry of the young star RIK-210 in the Upper Scorpius OB association. These dimming events are variable in depth, duration, and morphology. High spatial resolution imaging revealed that the star is single and radial velocity monitoring indicated that the dimming events cannot be due to an eclipsing stellar or brown dwarf companion. Archival and follow-up photometry suggest the dimming events are transient in nature. The variable morphology of the dimming events suggests they are not due to a single spherical body. The ingress of each dimming event is always shallower than egress, as one would expect for an orbiting body with a leading tail. The dimming events are periodic and synchronous with the stellar rotation. However, we argue it is unlikely the dimming events could be attributed to anything on the stellar surface based on the observed depths and durations. Variable obscuration by a protoplanetary disk is unlikely on the basis that the star is not actively accreting and lacks the infrared excess associated with an inner disk. Rather, we explore the possibilities that the dimming events are due to magnetospheric clouds, a transiting protoplanet surrounded by circumplanetary dust and debris, eccentric orbiting bodies undergoing periodic tidal disruption, or an extended field of dust or debris near the corotation radius.

We study the nucleosynthesis products in neutrino-driven winds from rapidly rotating, highly magnetized and misaligned protomagnetars using the nuclear reaction network SkyNet. We adopt a semi-analytic parametrized model for the protomagnetar and systematically study the capabilities of its neutrino-driven wind for synthesizing nuclei and eventually producing ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). We find that for neutron-rich outflows (Ye < 0.5), synthesis of heavy elements (⁠|$\overline{A}\sim 20-65$|⁠) is possible during the first |$\sim 10\, {\rm s}$| of the outflow, but these nuclei are subjected to composition-altering photodisintegration during the epoch of particle acceleration at the dissipation radii. However, after the first |$\sim 10\, {\rm s}$| of the outflow, nucleosynthesis reaches lighter elements (⁠|$\overline{A}\sim 10-50$|⁠) that are not subjected to subsequent photodisintegration. For proton-rich (Ye ≥ 0.5) outflows, synthesis is more limited (⁠|$\overline{A}\sim 4-15$|⁠). These suggest that while protomagnetars typically do not synthesize nuclei heavier than second r -process peak elements, they are intriguing sources of intermediate/heavy mass UHECRs. For all configurations, the most rapidly rotating protomagnetars are more conducive for nucleosynthesis with a weaker dependence on the magnetic field strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic B-stars often exhibit circularly polarized radio emission thought to arise from gyrosynchrotron emission by energetic electrons trapped in the circumstellar magnetosphere. Recent empirical analyses show that the onset and strength of the observed radio emission scale with both the magnetic field strength and the stellar rotation rate. This challenges the existing paradigm that the energetic electrons are accelerated in the current sheet between opposite-polarity field lines in the outer regions of magnetized stellar winds, which includes no role for stellar rotation. Building on recent success in explaining a similar rotation-field dependence of H α line emission in terms of a model in which magnetospheric density is regulated by centrifugal breakout (CBO), we examine here the potential role of the associated CBO-driven magnetic reconnection in accelerating the electrons that emit the observed gyrosynchrotron radio. We show in particular that the theoretical scalings for energy production by CBO reconnection match well the empirical trends for observed radio luminosity, with a suitably small, nearly constant conversion efficiency ϵ ≈ 10−8. We summarize the distinct advantages of our CBO scalings over previous associations with an electromotive force, and discuss the potential implications of CBO processes for X-rays and other observed characteristics of rotating magnetic B-stars with centrifugal magnetospheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stars which are rapidly rotating are expected to show high levels of activity according to the activity–rotation relation. However, previous TESS studies have found ultra fast rotating (UFR) M dwarfs with periods less than 1 d displaying low levels of flaring activity. As a result, in this study, we utilize VLT/FORS2 spectro-polarimetric data of 10 M dwarf UFR stars between spectral types ∼M2–M6 all with P rot < 1, to detect the presence of a magnetic field. We divide our sample into rotation period bins of equal size, with one star having many more flares in the TESS light curve than the other. We also provide an analysis of the long-term variability within our sample using TESS light curves taken during Cycles 1 and 3 (up to 3 yr apart). We identify 605 flares from our sample which have energies between 2.0 × 1031 and 5.4 × 1034 erg. Although we find no significant difference in the flare rate between the Cycles, two of our targets display changes in their light-curve morphology, potentially caused by a difference in the spot distribution. Overall, we find five stars (50 per cent) in our sample have a detectable magnetic field with strengths ∼1–2 kG. Of these five, four were the more flare active stars within the period bins with one being the less flare active star. It would appear the magnetic field strength may not be the answer to the lack of flaring activity and supersaturation or magnetic field configuration may play a role. However, it is clear the relationship between rotation and activity is more complex than a steady decrease over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present wind models of 10 young Solar-type stars in the Hercules-Lyra association and the Coma Berenices cluster aged around ∼0.26 and ∼0.58 Gyr, respectively. Combined with five previously modelled stars in the Hyades cluster, aged ∼0.63 Gyr, we obtain a large atlas of 15 observationally based wind models. We find varied geometries, multi-armed structures in the equatorial plane, and a greater spread in quantities such as the angular momentum loss. In our models, we infer variation of a factor of ∼6 in wind angular momentum loss |$\dot{J}$| and a factor of ∼2 in wind mass-loss |$\dot{M}$| based on magnetic field geometry differences when adjusting for the unsigned surface magnetic flux. We observe a large variation factor of ∼4 in wind pressure for an Earth-like planet; we attribute this to variations in the 'magnetic inclination' of the magnetic dipole axis with respect to the stellar axis of rotation. Within our models, we observe a tight correlation between unsigned open magnetic flux and angular momentum loss. To account for possible underreporting of the observed magnetic field strength we investigate a second series of wind models where the magnetic field has been scaled by a factor of 5. This gives |$\dot{M}\propto B^{0.4}$| and |$\dot{J}\propto B^{1.0}$| as a result of pure magnetic scaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White-light flares are magnetically driven localized brightenings on the surfaces of stars. Their temporal, spectral, and statistical properties present a treasury of physical information about stellar magnetic fields. The spatial distributions of magnetic spots and associated flaring regions help constrain dynamo theories. Moreover, flares are thought to crucially affect the habitability of exoplanets that orbit these stars. Measuring the location of flares on stars other than the Sun is challenging due to the lack of spatial resolution. Here we present four fully convective stars observed with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite that displayed large, long-duration flares in white-light which were modulated in brightness by the stars' fast rotation. This allowed us to determine the loci of these flares directly from the light curves. All four flares occurred at latitudes between 55° and 81°, far higher than typical solar flare latitudes. Our findings are evidence that strong magnetic fields tend to emerge close to the stellar rotational poles for fully convective stars, and suggest that the impact of flares on the habitability of exoplanets around small stars could be weaker than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young neutron stars (NSs) have magnetic fields in the range 1012–1015 G, believed to be generated by dynamo action at birth. We argue that such a dynamo is actually too inefficient to explain the strongest of these fields. Dynamo action in the mature star is also unlikely. Instead we propose a promising new precession-driven dynamo and examine its basic properties, as well as arguing for a revised mean-field approach to NS dynamos. The precession-driven dynamo could also play a role in field generation in main-sequence stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetism can greatly impact the evolution of stars. In some stars with OBA spectral types there is direct evidence via the Zeeman effect for stable, large-scale magnetospheres, which lead to the spin-down of the stellar surface and reduced mass loss. So far, a comprehensive grid of stellar structure and evolution models accounting for these effects was lacking. For this reason, we computed and studied models with two magnetic braking and two chemical mixing schemes in three metallicity environments with the mesa software instrument. We find notable differences between the subgrids, which affects the model predictions and thus the detailed characterisation of stars. We are able to quantify the impact of magnetic fields in terms of preventing quasi-chemically homogeneous evolution and producing slowly-rotating, nitrogen-enriched ("Group 2") stars. Our model grid is fully open access and open source. [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]

τ Sco, a well-studied magnetic B-type star in the Upper Sco association, has a number of surprising characteristics. It rotates very slowly and shows nitrogen excess. Its surface magnetic field is much more complex than a purely dipolar configuration which is unusual for a magnetic massive star. We employ the cmfgen radiative transfer code to determine the fundamental parameters and surface CNO and helium abundances. Then, we employ mesa and genec stellar evolution models accounting for the effects of surface magnetic fields. To reconcile τ Sco's properties with single-star models, an increase is necessary in the efficiency of rotational mixing by a factor of 3–10 and in the efficiency of magnetic braking by a factor of 10. The spin-down could be explained by assuming a magnetic field decay scenario. However, the simultaneous chemical enrichment challenges the single-star scenario. Previous works indeed suggested a stellar merger origin for τ Sco. However, the merger scenario also faces similar challenges as our magnetic single-star models to explain τ Sco's simultaneous slow rotation and nitrogen excess. In conclusion, the single-star channel seems less likely and versatile to explain these discrepancies, while the merger scenario and other potential binary-evolution channels still require further assessment as to whether they may self-consistently explain the observables of τ Sco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young solar analogs reaching the main sequence experience very strong magnetic activity, directly linked to their angular momentum loss through wind and mass ejections. We investigate here the surface and chromospheric activity of the ultra-rapid rotator AP 149 in the young open cluster alpha Persei. With a time-series of spectropolarimetric observations gathered over two nights with ESPaDOnS, we are able to reconstruct the surface distribution of brightness and magnetic field using the Zeeman-Doppler-Imaging (ZDI) method. Using the same data set, we also map the spatial distribution of prominences through tomography of H-alpha emission. We find that AP 149 shows a strong cool spot and magnetic field closed to the polar cap. This star is the first example of a solar-type star to have its magnetic field and prominences mapped together, which will help to explore the respective role of wind and prominences in the angular momentum evolution of the most active stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of the starspot evolution, the surface differential rotation (SDR), the correlation between chromospheric activity indicators and the spatial connection between chromospheric and photospheric activities on the active star Kepler-411, using time-series photometry over four years from Kepler, and spectroscopic data from Keck I 10-m and Lijiang 2.4-m telescopes. We constructed the light curve (LC) by re-performing photometry and reduction from the Target Pixel Files and Cotrending Basis Vectors with a manually redefined aperture using the software pyke 3. An efficient program, gemc_lcm , was developed to apply a two-spots model to chosen LC segments with three spot groups at fixed latitudes (30○, 45○), (30○, 60○) and (45○, 60○). We found a periodic variation of the starspots at the period of about 660 d which independs on spot latitudes, and estimated the lower limit of SDR rate α  = 0.1016(0.0023) and equatoral rotation period P eq = 9.7810(0.0169) d. Simultaneously, the relative variations of chromospheric activity indicators were derived by subtracting the overall mean spectrum from individual spectrum. It is found that Ca  ii H and K emissions are strongly correlated with each other, and there also exists a correlation between H α and Ca  ii H & K emissions, with large dispersion, in accordance with previous results. Furthermore, we find the correlation between Ca  ii H and K emissions is different in 2011 and 2012. The chromospheric emission variation shows a highly spatial anticorrelation with the LC, suggesting a spatial connection between the chromospheric active region and spot region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the detection of a large-scale magnetic field at the surface of the slowly rotating fully convective (FC) M dwarf Proxima Centauri. 10 circular polarization spectra, collected from 2017 April to July with the HARPS-Pol spectropolarimeter, exhibit rotationally modulated Zeeman signatures suggesting a stellar rotation period of 89.8 ± 4.0 d. Using Zeeman–Doppler Imaging, we invert the circular polarization spectra into a surface distribution of the large-scale magnetic field. We find that Proxima Cen hosts a large-scale magnetic field of typical strength 200 G, whose topology is mainly poloidal, and moderately axisymmetric, featuring, in particular, a dipole component of 135 G tilted at 51° to the rotation axis. The large-scale magnetic flux is roughly 3× smaller than the flux measured from the Zeeman broadening of unpolarized lines, which suggests that the underlying dynamo is efficient at generating a magnetic field at the largest spatial scales. Our observations occur ∼1 yr after the maximum of the reported 7 yr-activity cycle of Proxima Cen, which opens the door for the first long-term study of how the large-scale field evolves with the magnetic cycle in an FC very low mass star. Finally, we find that Proxima Cen's habitable zone planet, Proxima-b, is likely orbiting outside the Alfvèn surface, where no direct magnetic star–planet interactions occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly rotating early-type stars with strong magnetic fields frequently show H α emission originating in centrifugal magnetospheres (CMs), circumstellar structures in which centrifugal support due to magnetically enforced corotation of the magnetically confined plasma enables it to accumulate to high densities. It is not currently known whether the CM plasma escapes via centrifugal breakout (CB), or by an unidentified leakage mechanism. We have conducted the first comprehensive examination of the H α emission properties of all stars currently known to display CM-pattern emission. We find that the onset of emission is dependent primarily on the area of the CM, which can be predicted simply by the value B K of the magnetic field at the Kepler corotation radius R K. Emission strength is strongly sensitive to both CM area and B K. Emission onset and strength are not dependent on effective temperature, luminosity, or mass-loss rate. These results all favour a CB scenario; however, the lack of intrinsic variability in any CM diagnostics indicates that CB must be an essentially continuous process, i.e. it effectively acts as a leakage mechanism. We also show that the emission profile shapes are approximately scale-invariant, i.e. they are broadly similar across a wide range of emission strengths and stellar parameters. While the radius of maximum emission correlates closely as expected to R K, it is always larger, contradicting models that predict that emission should peak at R K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic fields play a fundamental role for interior and atmospheric properties of M dwarfs and greatly influence terrestrial planets orbiting in the habitable zones of these low-mass stars. Determination of the strength and topology of magnetic fields, both on stellar surfaces and throughout the extended stellar magnetospheres, is a key ingredient for advancing stellar and planetary science. Here, modern methods of magnetic field measurements applied to M-dwarf stars are reviewed, with an emphasis on direct diagnostics based on interpretation of the Zeeman effect signatures in high-resolution intensity and polarisation spectra. Results of the mean field strength measurements derived from Zeeman broadening analyses as well as information on the global magnetic geometries inferred by applying tomographic mapping methods to spectropolarimetric observations are summarised and critically evaluated. The emerging understanding of the complex, multi-scale nature of M-dwarf magnetic fields is discussed in the context of theoretical models of hydromagnetic dynamos and stellar interior structure altered by magnetic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Young solar analogs reaching the main sequence experience very strong magnetic activity, generating angular momentum losses through wind and mass ejections. Aims. We investigate signatures of magnetic fields and activity at the surface and in the prominence system of the ultra-rapid rotator V530 Per, a G-type solar-like member of the young open cluster α Persei. This object has a rotation period that is shorter than all stars with available magnetic maps. Methods. With a time-series of spectropolarimetric observations gathered with ESPaDOnS over two nights on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, we reconstructed the surface brightness and large-scale magnetic field of V530 Per using the Zeeman-Doppler imaging method, assuming an oblate stellar surface. We also estimated the short term evolution of the brightness distribution through latitudinal differential rotation. Using the same data set, we finally mapped the spatial distribution of prominences through tomography of the Hα emission. Results. The brightness map is dominated by a large, dark spot near the pole, accompanied by a complex distribution of bright and dark features at lower latitudes. Taking the brightness map into account, the magnetic field map is reconstructed as well. Most of the large-scale magnetic field energy is stored in the toroidal field component. The main radial field structure is a positive region of about 500 G, at the location of the dark polar spot. The brightness map of V530 Per is sheared by solar-like differential rotation, with roughly a solar value for the difference in rotation rate between the pole and equator. It is important to note that Hα is observed in emission and it is mostly modulated by the stellar rotation period over one night. The prominence system is organized in a ring at the approximate location of the corotation radius, and displays significant evolution between the two observing nights. Conclusions. V530 Per is the first example of a solar-type star to have its surface magnetic field and prominences mapped together, which will bring important observational constraints to better understand the role of slingshot prominences in the angular momentum evolution of the most active stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The interactions between magnetic fields and differential rotation in stellar radiative interiors could play a major role in achieving an understanding of the magnetism of intermediate-mass and massive stars and of the differential rotation profile observed in red-giant stars. Aims. The present study is aimed at studying the flow and field produced by a stellar radiative zone which is initially made to rotate differentially in the presence of a large-scale poloidal magnetic field threading the whole domain. We focus both on the axisymmetric configurations produced by the initial winding-up of the magnetic field lines and on the possible instabilities of those configurations. We investigate in detail the effects of the stable stratification and thermal diffusion and we aim, in particular, to assess the role of the stratification at stabilising the system. Methods. We performed 2D and 3D global Boussinesq numerical simulations started from an initial radial or cylindrical differential rotation and a large-scale poloidal magnetic field. Under the conditions of a large rotation frequency compared to the Alfvén frequency, we built a magnetic configuration strongly dominated by its toroidal component. We then perturbed this configuration to observe the development of non-axisymmetric instabilities. Results. The parameters of the simulations were chosen to respect the ordering of time scales of a typical stellar radiative zone. In this framework, the axisymmetric evolution is studied by varying the relative effects of the thermal diffusion, the Brunt-Väisälä frequency, the rotation, and the initial poloidal field strength. After a transient time and using a suitable adimensionalisation, we find that the axisymmetric state only depends on tes/tAp the ratio between the Eddington–Sweet circulation time scale and the Alfvén time scale. A scale analysis of the Boussinesq magnetohydrodynamical equations allows us to recover this result. In the cylindrical case, a magneto-rotational instability develops when the thermal diffusivity is sufficiently high to enable the favored wavenumbers to be insensitive to the effects of the stable stratification. In the radial case, the magneto-rotational instability is driven by the latitudinal shear created by the back-reaction of the Lorentz force on the flow. Increasing the level of stratification then leaves the growth rate of the instability mainly unaffected while its horizontal length scale grows. Conclusions. Non-axisymmetric instabilities are likely to exist in stellar radiative zones despite the stable stratification. They could be at the origin of the magnetic dichotomy observed in intermediate-mass and massive stars. They are also unavoidable candidates for the transport of angular momentum in red giant stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent discovery of the periodic activity of the repeating fast radio burst source FRB 180916.J0158+65 in the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) hints at possible origin of the FRB from a freely precessing neutron star with a magnetar magnetic field of about 1016 G. However, the absence of simultaneously detected high-energy emission in the Swift and AGILE observations imposes stringent constraints on the field magnitude and questions the possibility of such a progenitor. We show that consideration of forced precession of a neutron star does not encounter the difficulty. This kind of precession takes place even if the neutron star is not deformed and is brought about by the anomalous moment of electromagnetic forces induced by stellar rotation and determined by non-corotational currents. Contrary to what is expected for the currents of corotation, the anomalous torque calculated by the direct method appears to be non-zero. If the observed 16.35-d period corresponds to the period of stellar precession, the inferred internal magnetic field appears to be about 6 × 1014 G for rotational period 1 s. For another possibly periodic FRB 121102 with 157-d period, the magnetic field is even lower, 2 × 1014 G, thereby justifying earlier considerations and not ruling out the hypothesis of FRB origin from precessing neutron stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. One of the most enigmatic phenomena related to solar activity is the so-called Maunder minimum phase. It consists in the lowest sunspot count ever registered for the Sun and has not been confirmed for other stars to date. Since the spectroscopic observations of stellar activity at the Mount Wilson Observatory, the solar analog HD 43587 has shown a very low and apparently invariant activity level, which makes it a Maunder minimum candidate. Aims. We aim to analyze the chromospheric activity evolution of HD 43587 and its evolutive status, with the intention of unraveling the reasons for this low and flat activity. Methods. We used an activity measurements dataset available in the literature, and computed the S-index from HARPS and NARVAL spectra to infer a cycle period. Additionally, we analyzed the CoRoT light curve of HD 43587, and applied gyrochronology and activity calibrations to determine its rotation period. Finally, based on an evolutionary model and the inferred rotation period, we used the EULAG-MHD code to perform global MHD simulations of HD 43587 to get some insight into its dynamo process. Results. We confirm the almost flat activity profile, with a cycle period Pcyc = 10.44 ± 3.03 yr deduced from the S-index time series, and a long-term trend that might be a period of more than 50 yr. It was impossible to define a rotation period from the light curve, however gyrochronology and activity calibrations allow us to infer an indirect estimate of ¯Prot = 22.6 ± 1.9 P ¯ rot = 22.6 ± 1.9 $ \overline{P}_{\mathrm{rot}} = 22.6 \pm 1.9 $ d. Furthermore, the MHD simulations confirm an oscillatory dynamo with a cycle period in good agreement with the observations and a low level of surface magnetic activity. Conclusions. We conclude that this object might be experiencing a "natural" decrease in magnetic activity as a consequence of its age. Nevertheless, the possibility that HD 43587 is in a Maunder minimum phase cannot be ruled out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analytic arguments have been advanced that the degree of differential rotation in a neutron star depends on whether the topology of the internal magnetic field is open or closed. To test this assertion, the ideal-magnetohydrodynamics solver pluto is employed to investigate numerically the flow of an incompressible, viscous fluid threaded by a magnetic field with open and closed topologies in a conducting, differentially rotating, spherical shell. Rigid body corotation with the outer sphere is enforced on the Alfvén time-scale, along magnetic field lines that connect the northern and southern hemispheres of the outer sphere. Along other field lines, however, the behaviour is more complicated. For example, an initial point dipole field evolves to produce an approximately closed equatorial flux tube containing at least one predominantly toroidal and approximately closed field line surrounded by a bundle of predominantly toroidal but open field lines. Inside the equatorial flux tube, the field-line-averaged magnetic tension approaches zero, and the fluid rotates differentially, adjusting its angular velocity on the viscous time-scale to match the boundary conditions on the flux tube's toroidal surface. Outside the equatorial flux tube, the differential rotation increases, as the magnetic tension averaged along open field lines decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time evolution of angular momentum and surface rotation of massive stars are strongly influenced by fossil magnetic fields via magnetic braking. We present a new module containing a simple, comprehensive implementation of such a field at the surface of a massive star within the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (mesa) software instrument. We test two limiting scenarios for magnetic braking: distributing the angular momentum loss throughout the star in the first case, and restricting the angular momentum loss to a surface reservoir in the second case. We perform a systematic investigation of the rotational evolution using a grid of OB star models with surface magnetic fields (M ⋆ = 5–60 M⊙, Ω/Ωcrit = 0.2–1.0, B p = 1–20 kG). We then employ a representative grid of B-type star models (M ⋆ = 5, 10, 15 M⊙, Ω/Ωcrit = 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, B p = 1, 3, 10, 30 kG) to compare to the results of a recent self-consistent analysis of the sample of known magnetic B-type stars. We infer that magnetic massive stars arrive at the zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) with a range of rotation rates, rather than with one common value. In particular, some stars are required to have close-to-critical rotation at the ZAMS. However, magnetic braking yields surface rotation rates converging to a common low value, making it difficult to infer the initial rotation rates of evolved, slowly rotating stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Stellar spin down is the result of a complex process involving rotation, dynamo, wind, and magnetism. Multiwavelength surveys of solar-like stars have revealed the likely existence of relationships between their rotation, X-ray luminosity, mass losses, and magnetism. They impose strong constraints on the corona and wind of cool stars. Aims. We aim to provide power-law prescriptions of the mass loss of stars, of their magnetic field, and of their base coronal density and temperature that are compatible with their observationally-constrained spin down. Methods. We link the magnetic field and the mass-loss rate from a wind torque formulation, which is in agreement with the distribution of stellar rotation periods in open clusters and the Skumanich law. Given a wind model and an expression of the X-ray luminosity from radiative losses, we constrained the coronal properties by assuming different physical scenarios linking closed loops to coronal holes. Results. We find that the magnetic field and the mass loss are involved in a one-to-one correspondence that is constrained from spin down considerations. We show that a magnetic field, depending on both the Rossby number and the stellar mass, is required to keep a consistent spin down model. The estimates of the magnetic field and the mass-loss rate obtained from our formalism are consistent with statistical studies as well as individual observations and they give new leads to constrain the magnetic field-rotation relation. The set of scaling-laws we derived can be broadly applied to cool stars from the pre-main sequence to the end of the main sequence (MS), and they allow for stellar wind modeling that is consistent with all of the observational constraints available to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of a star's coronal magnetic field is a fundamental property that governs the high-energy emission from the hot coronal gas and the loss of mass and angular momentum in the stellar wind. It is, however, extremely difficult to measure. We report a new method to trace this structure in rapidly rotating young convective stars, using the cool gas trapped on coronal field lines as markers. This gas forms 'slingshot prominences' that appear as transient absorption features in H α. By using different methods of extrapolating this field from the surface measurements, we determine locations for prominence support and produce synthetic H α stacked spectra. The absorption features produced with a potential field extrapolation match well those observed, while the absorption features from a non-potential field do not. In systems where the rotation and magnetic axes are well aligned, up to |$50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| of the prominence mass may transit the star and so produces a observable feature. This fraction may fall as low as |$~2{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| in very highly inclined systems. Ejected prominences carry away mass and angular momentum at rates that vary by two orders of magnitude, but which may approach those carried by the stellar wind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]