Testing the Fossil Field Hypothesis: Could Strongly Magnetised OB Stars Produce All Known Magnetars?
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Rosette Nebula and Monoceros Loop
Oshkosh Scholar Page 43 Studying Complex Star-Forming Fields: Rosette Nebula and Monoceros Loop Chris Hathaway and Anthony Kuchera, co-authors Dr. Nadia Kaltcheva, Physics and Astronomy, faculty adviser Christopher Hathaway obtained a B.S. in physics in 2007 and is currently pursuing his masters in physics education at UW Oshkosh. He collaborated with Dr. Nadia Kaltcheva on his senior research project and presented their findings at theAmerican Astronomical Society meeting (2008), the Celebration of Scholarship at UW Oshkosh (2009), and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in La Crosse, Wisconsin (2009). Anthony Kuchera graduated from UW Oshkosh in May 2008 with a B.S. in physics. He collaborated with Dr. Kaltcheva from fall 2006 through graduation. He presented his astronomy-related research at Posters in the Rotunda (2007 and 2008), the Wisconsin Space Conference (2007), the UW System Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2007 and 2008), and the American Astronomical Society’s 211th meeting (2008). In December 2009 he earned an M.S. in physics from Florida State University where he is currently working toward a Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics. Dr. Nadia Kaltcheva is a professor of physics and astronomy. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Sofia in Bulgaria. She joined the UW Oshkosh Physics and Astronomy Department in 2001. Her research interests are in the field of stellar photometry and its application to the study of Galactic star-forming fields and the spiral structure of the Milky Way. Abstract An investigation that presents a new analysis of the structure of the Northern Monoceros field was recently completed at the Department of Physics andAstronomy at UW Oshkosh. -
Rotation Period and Magnetic Field Morphology of the White Dwarf WD
A&A 439, 1099–1106 (2005) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20052642 & c ESO 2005 Astrophysics Rotation period and magnetic field morphology of the white dwarf WD 0009+501 G. Valyavin1,2, S. Bagnulo3, D. Monin4, S. Fabrika2,B.-C.Lee1, G. Galazutdinov1,2,G.A.Wade5, and T. Burlakova2 1 Korea Astronomy and Space Science institute, 61-1, Whaam-Dong, Youseong-Gu, Taejeon 305-348, Republic of Korea e-mail: [email protected] 2 Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhnii Arkhyz, Karachai Cherkess Republic 357147, Russia 3 European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Santiago, Chile 4 Département de Physique et d’Astronomie, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB, E1A 3E9, Canada 5 Department of Physics, Royal Military College of Canada, PO Box 17000 Stn “FORCES”, Kingston, Ontario, K7K 7B4, Canada Received 5 January 2005 / Accepted 8 May 2005 Abstract. We present new spectropolarimetric observations of the weak-field magnetic white dwarf WD 0009+501. From these data we estimate that the star’s longitudinal magnetic field varies with the rotation phase from about −120 kG to about +50 kG, and that the surface magnetic field varies from about 150 kG to about 300 kG. Earlier estimates of the stellar rotation period are revised anew, and we find that the most probable period is about 8 h. We have attempted to recover the star’s magnetic morphology by modelling the available magnetic observables, assuming that the field is described by the superposition of a dipole and a quadrupole. According to the best-fit model, the inclination of the rotation axis with respect to the line of sight is i = 60◦ ± 20◦, and the angle between the rotation axis and the dipolar axis is β = 111◦ ± 17◦. -
The Young Stellar Population of IC 1613 III
A&A 551, A74 (2013) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201219977 & c ESO 2013 Astrophysics The young stellar population of IC 1613 III. New O-type stars unveiled by GTC-OSIRIS,, M. Garcia1,2 and A. Herrero1,2 1 Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, C/Vía Láctea s/n, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain e-mail: [email protected] 2 Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n, 38071 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain Received 9 July 2012 / Accepted 16 November 2012 ABSTRACT Context. Very low-metallicity massive stars are key to understanding the reionization epoch. Radiation-driven winds, chief agents in the evolution of massive stars, are consequently an important ingredient in our models of the early-Universe. Recent findings hint that the winds of massive stars with poorer metallicity than the SMC may be stronger than predicted by theory. Besides calling the paradigm of radiation-driven winds into question, this result would affect the calculated ionizing radiation and mechanical feedback of massive stars, as well as the role these objects play at different stages of the Universe. Aims. The field needs a systematic study of the winds of a large sample of very metal-poor massive stars. The sampling of spectral types is particularly poor in the very early types. This paper’s goal is to increase the list of known O-type stars in the dwarf irregular galaxy IC 1613, whose metallicity is lower than the SMC’s roughly by a factor 2. Methods. Using the reddening-free Q pseudo-colour, evolutionary masses, and GALEX photometry, we built a list of very likely O-type stars. -
Pos(INTEGRAL 2010)091
A candidate former companion star to the Magnetar CXOU J164710.2-455216 in the massive Galactic cluster Westerlund 1 PoS(INTEGRAL 2010)091 P.J. Kavanagh 1 School of Physical Sciences and NCPST, Dublin City University Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland E-mail: [email protected] E.J.A. Meurs School of Cosmic Physics, DIAS, and School of Physical Sciences, DCU Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland E-mail: [email protected] L. Norci School of Physical Sciences and NCPST, Dublin City University Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland E-mail: [email protected] Besides carrying the distinction of being the most massive young star cluster in our Galaxy, Westerlund 1 contains the notable Magnetar CXOU J164710.2-455216. While this is the only collapsed stellar remnant known for this cluster, a further ~10² Supernovae may have occurred on the basis of the cluster Initial Mass Function, possibly all leaving Black Holes. We identify a candidate former companion to the Magnetar in view of its high proper motion directed away from the Magnetar region, viz. the Luminous Blue Variable W243. We discuss the properties of W243 and how they pertain to the former Magnetar companion hypothesis. Binary evolution arguments are employed to derive a progenitor mass for the Magnetar of 24-25 M Sun , just within the progenitor mass range for Neutron Star birth. We also draw attention to another candidate to be member of a former massive binary. 8th INTEGRAL Workshop “The Restless Gamma-ray Universe” Dublin, Ireland September 27-30, 2010 1 Speaker Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Licence. -
Sun – Part 19 – Magnetic Field 1
Sun – Part 19 - Magnetic field 1 Solar magnetic field Field line distortion causes sunspots Solar magnetosphere Like all stellar magnetic fields, that of the Sun is generated by the motion of the conductive plasma within it. This motion is created through convection, a form of energy transport involving physical movements of material. Field generation is believed to take place in the Sun's convective zone where the convective circulation of the conducting plasma functions like a dynamo, generating a dipolar stellar magnetic field. In the solar dynamo, the kinetic energy of the hot, highly ionised gas inside the Sun develops self-amplifying electric currents which are converted into the solar magnetic field which gives rise to solar activity. This conversion is due to a combination of differential rotation (different angular velocity of rotation at different latitudes of a gaseous body), Coriolis forces and electrical induction. These rotational effects, and the fact that electrical current distribution can be quite complicated, influence the shape of the Sun's magnetic field, both on large and local scales. In 1952, the American father and son solar astronomers Harold and Horace Babcock developed the solar magnetograph with which they made the first ever measurements of magnetic fields on the Sun's surface. Their work enabled them to develop a model which explains their extensive observations and spectrographic analysis of solar magnetic field behaviour. In this, from large distances, the Sun's magnetic field is a simple dipole, with field lines running between the poles. However, inside the Sun, the rotational effects which help create the field also distort the field lines. -
Origin of Magnetic Fields in Cataclysmic Variables
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 000, 000–000 (0000) Printed 16 October 2018 (MN LATEX style file v2.2) Origin of magnetic fields in cataclysmic variables Gordon P. Briggs1, Lilia Ferrario1, Christopher A. Tout1,2,3, Dayal T. Wickramasinghe1 1Mathematical Sciences Institute, The Australian National University, ACT 0200, Australia 2Institute of Astronomy, The Observatories, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA 3Monash Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, 10 College Walk, Monash University 3800, Australia Accepted. Received ; in original form ABSTRACT In a series of recent papers it has been proposed that high field magnetic white dwarfs are the result of close binary interaction and merging. Population synthesis calculations have shown that the origin of isolated highly magnetic white dwarfs is consistent with the stellar merging hypothesis. In this picture the observed fields are caused by an α−Ω dynamo driven by differential rotation. The strongest fields arise when the differential rotation equals the critical break up velocity and result from the merging of two stars (one of which has a degenerate core) during common envelope evolution or from the merging of two white dwarfs. We now synthesise a population of binary systems to investigate the hypothesis that the magnetic fields in the magnetic cataclysmic variables also originate during stellar interaction in the common envelope phase. Those systems that emerge from common envelope more tightly bound form the cataclysmic variables with the strongest magnetic fields. We vary the common envelope efficiency parameter and compare the results of our population syntheses with observations of magnetic cataclysmic variables. We find that common envelope interaction can explain the observed characteristics of these magnetic systems if the envelope ejection efficiency is low. -
Active OB Stars: Structure, Evolution, Mass Loss, and Critical Limits Proceedings IAU Symposium No
Active OB stars: structure, evolution, mass loss, and critical limits Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 272, 2010 c International Astronomical Union 2011 C. Neiner, G. Wade, G. Meynet & G. Peters, eds. doi:10.1017/S1743921311009914 Active OB Stars - an introduction Dietrich Baade1, Thomas Rivinius2,StanislasSteflˇ 2,and Christophe Martayan2 1 European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, 85748 Garching. b. M¨unchen, Germany email: [email protected] 2 European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile email: [email protected], [email protected],[email protected] Abstract. Identifying seven activities and activity-carrying properties and nine classes of Active OB Stars, the OB Star Activity Matrix is constructed to map the parameter space. On its basis, the occurrence and appearance of the main activities are described as a function of stellar class. Attention is also paid to selected combinations of activities with classes of Active OB Stars. Current issues are identified and suggestions are developed for future work and strategies. Keywords. stars: activity, stars: binaries, stars: circumstellar matter, stars: early-type, stars: emission-line, Be, stars: magnetic fields, stars: mass loss, stars: oscillations, stars: rotation 1. Active OB Stars: the concept 1.1. The activities The term Active B Stars was introduced in 1994 when the IAU Working Group on Be Stars was renamed Working Group on Active B Stars. The name was to capture all physical processes that might be active in Be stars and so be required to understand Be and other active B stars, similar to Richard Thomas’ standing characterization of Be stars as the crossroads of OB stars. -
PSR J1740-3052: a Pulsar with a Massive Companion
Haverford College Haverford Scholarship Faculty Publications Physics 2001 PSR J1740-3052: a Pulsar with a Massive Companion I. H. Stairs R. N. Manchester A. G. Lyne V. M. Kaspi Fronefield Crawford Haverford College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.haverford.edu/physics_facpubs Repository Citation "PSR J1740-3052: a Pulsar with a Massive Companion" I. H. Stairs, R. N. Manchester, A. G. Lyne, V. M. Kaspi, F. Camilo, J. F. Bell, N. D'Amico, M. Kramer, F. Crawford, D. J. Morris, A. Possenti, N. P. F. McKay, S. L. Lumsden, L. E. Tacconi-Garman, R. D. Cannon, N. C. Hambly, & P. R. Wood, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 325, 979 (2001). This Journal Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Physics at Haverford Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Haverford Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 325, 979–988 (2001) PSR J174023052: a pulsar with a massive companion I. H. Stairs,1,2P R. N. Manchester,3 A. G. Lyne,1 V. M. Kaspi,4† F. Camilo,5 J. F. Bell,3 N. D’Amico,6,7 M. Kramer,1 F. Crawford,8‡ D. J. Morris,1 A. Possenti,6 N. P. F. McKay,1 S. L. Lumsden,9 L. E. Tacconi-Garman,10 R. D. Cannon,11 N. C. Hambly12 and P. R. Wood13 1University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank Observatory, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 9DL 2National Radio Astronomy Observatory, PO Box 2, Green Bank, WV 24944, USA 3Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, PO Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia 4Physics Department, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T8, Canada 5Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, 550 W. -
Chandra X-Ray Study Confirms That the Magnetic Standard Ap Star KQ Vel
A&A 641, L8 (2020) Astronomy https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202038214 & c ESO 2020 Astrophysics LETTER TO THE EDITOR Chandra X-ray study confirms that the magnetic standard Ap star KQ Vel hosts a neutron star companion? Lidia M. Oskinova1,2, Richard Ignace3, Paolo Leto4, and Konstantin A. Postnov5,2 1 Institute for Physics and Astronomy, University Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany e-mail: [email protected] 2 Department of Astronomy, Kazan Federal University, Kremlevskaya Str 18, Kazan, Russia 3 Department of Physics & Astronomy, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA 4 NAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy 5 Sternberg Astronomical Institute, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow University, Universitetskij pr. 13, 119234 Moscow, Russia Received 20 April 2020 / Accepted 20 July 2020 ABSTRACT Context. KQ Vel is a peculiar A0p star with a strong surface magnetic field of about 7.5 kG. It has a slow rotational period of nearly 8 years. Bailey et al. (A&A, 575, A115) detected a binary companion of uncertain nature and suggested that it might be a neutron star or a black hole. Aims. We analyze X-ray data obtained by the Chandra telescope to ascertain information about the stellar magnetic field and/or interaction between the star and its companion. Methods. We confirm previous X-ray detections of KQ Vel with a relatively high X-ray luminosity of 2 × 1030 erg s−1. The X-ray spectra suggest the presence of hot gas at >20 MK and, possibly, of a nonthermal component. -
Arxiv:2009.12379V1 [Astro-Ph.SR] 25 Sep 2020 Number Might Form in Isolation As field Stars
Draft version September 29, 2020 Typeset using LATEX twocolumn style in AASTeX62 A Search for In-Situ Field OB Star Formation in the Small Magellanic Cloud Irene Vargas-Salazar,1 M. S. Oey,1 Jesse R. Barnes,1, 2 Xinyi Chen,1, 3 N. Castro,4 Kaitlin M. Kratter,5 and Timothy A. Faerber1, 6 1University of Michigan, 1085 S. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA 2Present address: Private 3Present address: Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA 4Leibniz-Institut fr Astrophysik An der Sternwarte, 16 D-14482, Potsdam, Germany 5University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA 6Present address: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden (Accepted to ApJ) ABSTRACT Whether any OB stars form in isolation is a question central to theories of massive star formation. To address this, we search for tiny, sparse clusters around 210 field OB stars from the Runaways and Isolated O-Type Star Spectroscopic Survey of the SMC (RIOTS4), using friends-of-friends (FOF) and nearest neighbors (NN) algorithms. We also stack the target fields to evaluate the presence of an aggregate density enhancement. Using several statistical tests, we compare these observations with three random-field datasets, and we also compare the known runaways to non-runaways. We find that the local environments of non-runaways show higher aggregate central densities than for runaways, implying the presence of some \tips-of-iceberg" (TIB) clusters. We find that the frequency of these tiny clusters is low, ∼ 4−5% of our sample. This fraction is much lower than some previous estimates, but is consistent with field OB stars being almost entirely runaway and walkaway stars. -
Radio Emission from Exoplanets: the Role of the Stellar Coronal Density and Magnetic Field Strength
A&A 490, 843–851 (2008) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20078658 & c ESO 2008 Astrophysics Radio emission from exoplanets: the role of the stellar coronal density and magnetic field strength M. Jardine and A. C. Cameron SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland KY16 9SS, UK e-mail: [email protected] Received 12 September 2007 / Accepted 5 August 2008 ABSTRACT Context. The search for radio emission from extra-solar planets has so far been unsuccessful. Much of the effort in modelling the predicted emission has been based on the analogy with the well-known emission from Jupiter. Unlike Jupiter, however, many of the targets of these radio searches are so close to their parent stars that they may well lie inside the stellar magnetosphere. Aims. For these close-in planets we determine which physical processes dominate the radio emission and compare our results to those for large-orbit planets that are that are immersed in the stellar wind. Methods. We have modelled the reconnection of the stellar and planetary magnetic fields. We calculate the extent of the planetary magnetosphere if it is in pressure balance with its surroundings and determine the conditions under which reconnection of the stellar and planetary magnetic fields could provide the accelerated electrons necessary for the predicted radio emission. Results. We show that received radio fluxes of tens of mJy are possible for exoplanets in the solar neighbourhood that are close to their parent stars if their stars have surface field strengths above 1–10 G. -
Radio and High-Energy Emission of Pulsars Revealed by General Relativity Q
A&A 639, A75 (2020) Astronomy https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202037979 & c Q. Giraud and J. Pétri 2020 Astrophysics Radio and high-energy emission of pulsars revealed by general relativity Q. Giraud and J. Pétri Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, UMR 7550, 67000 Strasbourg, France e-mail: [email protected] Received 18 March 2020 / Accepted 14 May 2020 ABSTRACT Context. According to current pulsar emission models, photons are produced within their magnetosphere and current sheet, along their separatrix, which is located inside and outside the light cylinder. Radio emission is favoured in the vicinity of the polar caps, whereas the high-energy counterpart is presumably enhanced in regions around the light cylinder, whether this is the magnetosphere and/or the wind. However, the gravitational effect on their light curves and spectral properties has only been sparsely researched. Aims. We present a method for simulating the influence that the gravitational field of the neutron star has on its emission properties according to the solution of a rotating dipole evolving in a slowly rotating neutron star metric described by general relativity. Methods. We numerically computed photon trajectories assuming a background Schwarzschild metric, applying our method to neu- tron star radiation mechanisms such as thermal emission from hot spots and non-thermal magnetospheric emission by curvature radiation. We detail the general-relativistic effects onto observations made by a distant observer. Results. Sky maps are computed using the vacuum electromagnetic field of a general-relativistic rotating dipole, extending previous works obtained for the Deutsch solution. We compare Newtonian results to their general-relativistic counterpart.