scholarly journals Masers and Stellar Magnetic Fields

1990 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 21-25
Author(s):  
Mark J. Reid

Observations of circular polarization of molecular masers associated with late type giant and supergiant stars can be used to estimate the magnetic field strength in the masing region. Magnetic field strengths of ~ 5 mG are deduced for OH masers in circumstellar envelopes at distances of ~ 1016 cm from the star, and magnetic field strengths of ~ 50 G are deduced for SiO masers that reside above the photosphere. Extrapolation to the stellar photosphere suggests that average surface magnetic fields are on the order of 103 G.

1990 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 241-241
Author(s):  
A. J. Fitt ◽  
P. Alexander

We have calculated equipartition magnetic fields for a complete, optically-selected sample of 165 spiral galaxies. The magnetic field distribution (fig. 1) is type independent, and shows remarkably little spread in values, around 1 decade in B. This is not due to selection effects because of the nature of the sample and the 95 percent detection rate.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-36
Author(s):  
Sergei Plachinda ◽  
Varvara Butkovskaya

A research on stellar magnetism in Crimea was initiated by pioneer works of A.B. Severny, V.E. Stepanov, and D.N. Rachkovsky. Today, the study of stellar magnetic fields is a key field of research at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO). The 2.6 m Shajn telescope equipped with the echelle spectrograph ESPL, CCD, and Stokesmeter (a circular polarization analyzer) allows us to study the magnetic field of bright stars up to 5m–6m. The Single Line (SL) technique is developed for measuring magnetic fields at CrAO. This technique is based on the calculation of the Zeeman effect in individual spectral lines. A key advantage of the SL technique is its ability to detect local magnetic fields on the surface of stars. Many results in the field of direct measurements of stellar magnetic fields were obtained at CrAO for the first time. In particular, the magnetic field on supergiants (ǫ Gem), as well as on a number of subgiants, giants, and bright giants was first detected. This, and investigations of other authors, confirmed the hypothesis that a magnetic field is generated at all the stages of evolution of late-type stars, including the stage of star formation. The emergence of large magnetic flux tubes at the surface of stars of V-IV-III luminosity classes (61 Cyg A, β Gem, β Aql) was first registered. In subgiants, the magnetic field behavior with the activity cycle was first established for β Aql. Using the long-term Crimean spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric observations of α Lyr, the 22-year variability cycle of the star, supposedly associated with meridional flows, is confirmed. Magnetic field variability with the pulsation period was first detected for different types of pulsating variables: the classical Cepheid β Aql, the low-amplitude β Cep-type variable γ Peg, and others. In this review we cover more than a half-century history of the formation of the Crimean scientific school for high-precision direct measurements of stellar magnetic fields.


1989 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-288
Author(s):  
E. N. Parker

AbstractThis presentation reviews selected ideas on the origin of the magnetic field of the Sun, the dynamical behavior of the azimuthal field in the convective zone, the fibril state of the field at the photosphere, the formation of sunspots, prominences, the spontaneous formation of current sheets in the bipolar field above the surface of the Sun, coronal heating, and flares.


1931 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-489
Author(s):  
L. G. Vedy ◽  
A. F. Wilkins

A portable apparatus is described which is capable of measuring directly, by means of a loop aerial, the magnetic field in an electromagnetic wave. Accurate measurements are possible of magnetic fields corresponding to field strengths of 0·2 millivolts per metre. Special means of providing small known calibrating E. M. F. S are described. The apparatus can be used to measure signals over the range 6 microvolts to 300 millivolts. Used in conjunction with a small portable vertical aerial, field strengths down to 2 microvolts per metre can be measured.


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (S302) ◽  
pp. 398-399
Author(s):  
L. Sabin ◽  
Q. Zhang ◽  
A. A. Zijlstra ◽  
N. A. Patel ◽  
R. Vázquez ◽  
...  

AbstractThe role of magnetic field in late type stars such as proto-planetary and planetary nebulae (PPNe/PNe), is poorly known from an observational point of view. We present submillimetric observations realized with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) which unveil the dust continuum polarization in the envelopes of two well known PPNe: CRL 618 and OH 231.8+4.2. Assuming the current grain alignment theory, we were then able to trace the geometry of the magnetic field.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S243) ◽  
pp. 31-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Johns–Krull

AbstractStellar magnetic fields including a strong dipole component are believed to play a critical role in the early evolution of newly formed stars and their circumstellar accretion disks. It is currently believed that the stellar magnetic field truncates the accretion disk several stellar radii above the star. This action forces accreting material to flow along the field lines and accrete onto the star preferentially at high stellar latitudes. It is also thought that the stellar rotation rate becomes locked to the Keplerian velocity near the radius where the disk is truncated. This paper reviews recent efforts to measure the magnetic field properties of low mass pre-main sequence stars, focussing on how the observations compare with the theoretical expectations. A picture is emerging indicating that quite strong fields do indeed cover the majority of the surface on these stars; however, the dipole component of the field appears to be alarmingly small. On the other hand, at least one accretion model which takes into account the non-dipole nature of the magnetic field provides predictions relating various stellar and accretion parameters which are present in the current data.


1968 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 230-232
Author(s):  
F. L. Deubner

With the Capri magnetograph of the Fraunhofer Institute simultaneous measurements of sightline velocities and longitudinal magnetic fields have been carried out, in order to investigate the dependence of the 300-sec oscillation of sightline velocities on the magnetic-field strengths, and the oscillatory behavior of the latter, if there is any.


2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (1) ◽  
pp. 1130-1138
Author(s):  
J C Ramírez Vélez

ABSTRACT The big majority of the reported measurements of the stellar magnetic fields that have analysed spectropolarimetric data have employed the least-squares deconvolution method (LSD) and the first-order moment approach. We present a series of numerical tests in which we review some important aspects of this technique. First, we show that the selection of the profile widths, i.e. integration range in the first-order moment equation, is independent of the accuracy of the magnetic measurements, meaning that for any arbitrary profile width it is always possible to properly determine the longitudinal magnetic field. We also study the interplay between the line depth limit adopted in the line mask and the normalization values of the LSD profiles. We finally show that the rotation of the stars has to be considered to correctly infer the intensity of the magnetic field, something that has been neglected up to now. We show that the latter consideration is crucial, and our test shows that the magnetic intensities differ by a factor close to 3 for a moderate fast rotator star with vsini of 50 ${\rm km\, s^{-1}}$. Therefore, it is expected that in general the stellar magnetic fields reported for fast rotators are stronger than what was believed. All the previous results shows that the first-order moment can be a very robust tool for measurements of magnetic fields, provided that the weak magnetic field approximation is secured. We also show that when the magnetic field regime breaks down, the use of the first-order moment method becomes uncertain.


2019 ◽  
Vol 627 ◽  
pp. A64 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Prat ◽  
S. Mathis ◽  
B. Buysschaert ◽  
J. Van Beeck ◽  
D. M. Bowman ◽  
...  

Context. Stellar magnetic fields are often invoked to explain the missing transport of angular momentum observed in models of stellar interiors. However, the properties of an internal magnetic field and the consequences of its presence on stellar evolution are largely unknown. Aims. We study the effect of an axisymmetric internal magnetic field on the frequency of gravity modes in rapidly rotating stars to check whether gravity modes can be used to detect and probe such a field. Methods. Rotation is taken into account using the traditional approximation of rotation and the effect of the magnetic field is computed using a perturbative approach. As a proof of concept, we compute frequency shifts due to a mixed (i.e. with both poloidal and toroidal components) fossil magnetic field for a representative model of a known magnetic, rapidly rotating, slowly pulsating B-type star: HD 43317. Results. We find that frequency shifts induced by the magnetic field scale with the square of its amplitude. A magnetic field with a near-core strength of the order of 150 kG (which is consistent with the observed surface field strength of the order of 1 kG) leads to signatures that are detectable in period spacings for high-radial-order gravity modes. Conclusions. The predicted frequency shifts can be used to constrain internal magnetic fields and offer the potential for a significant step forward in our interpretation of the observed structure of gravity-mode period spacing patterns in rapidly rotating stars.


2000 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 263-264
Author(s):  
K. Sundara Raman ◽  
K. B. Ramesh ◽  
R. Selvendran ◽  
P. S. M. Aleem ◽  
K. M. Hiremath

Extended AbstractWe have examined the morphological properties of a sigmoid associated with an SXR (soft X-ray) flare. The sigmoid is cospatial with the EUV (extreme ultra violet) images and in the optical part lies along an S-shaped Hαfilament. The photoheliogram shows flux emergence within an existingδtype sunspot which has caused the rotation of the umbrae giving rise to the sigmoidal brightening.It is now widely accepted that flares derive their energy from the magnetic fields of the active regions and coronal levels are considered to be the flare sites. But still a satisfactory understanding of the flare processes has not been achieved because of the difficulties encountered to predict and estimate the probability of flare eruptions. The convection flows and vortices below the photosphere transport and concentrate magnetic field, which subsequently appear as active regions in the photosphere (Rust & Kumar 1994 and the references therein). Successive emergence of magnetic flux, twist the field, creating flare productive magnetic shear and has been studied by many authors (Sundara Ramanet al.1998 and the references therein). Hence, it is considered that the flare is powered by the energy stored in the twisted magnetic flux tubes (Kurokawa 1996 and the references therein). Rust & Kumar (1996) named the S-shaped bright coronal loops that appear in soft X-rays as ‘Sigmoids’ and concluded that this S-shaped distortion is due to the twist developed in the magnetic field lines. These transient sigmoidal features tell a great deal about unstable coronal magnetic fields, as these regions are more likely to be eruptive (Canfieldet al.1999). As the magnetic fields of the active regions are deep rooted in the Sun, the twist developed in the subphotospheric flux tube penetrates the photosphere and extends in to the corona. Thus, it is essentially favourable for the subphotospheric twist to unwind the twist and transmit it through the photosphere to the corona. Therefore, it becomes essential to make complete observational descriptions of a flare from the magnetic field changes that are taking place in different atmospheric levels of the Sun, to pin down the energy storage and conversion process that trigger the flare phenomena.


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