scholarly journals Magnetic field topology of the cool, active, short-period binary system σ2 Coronae Borealis

2018 ◽  
Vol 613 ◽  
pp. A60 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Rosén ◽  
O. Kochukhov ◽  
E. Alecian ◽  
C. Neiner ◽  
J. Morin ◽  
...  

Aims. The goal of this work is to study the cool, active binary star σ2 CrB, focussing on its magnetic field. The two F9–G0 components of this system are tidally locked and in a close orbit, increasing the chance of interaction between their magnetospheres. Methods. We used Stokes IV data from the twin spectropolarimeters Narval at the TBL and ESPaDOnS at the CFHT. The least-squares deconvolution multi-line technique was used to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the data. We then applied a new binary Zeeman–Doppler imaging code to reconstruct simultaneously the magnetic topology and brightness distribution of both components of σ2 CrB. This analysis was carried out for two observational epochs in 2014 and 2017. Results. A previously unconfirmed magnetic field of the primary star has been securely detected. At the same time, the polarisation signatures of the secondary appear to have a systematically larger amplitude than that of the primary. This corresponds to a stronger magnetic field, for which the magnetic energy of the secondary exceeds that of the primary by a factor of 3.3–5.7. While the magnetic energy is similar for the secondary star in the two epochs, the magnetic energy is about twice as high in 2017 for the primary. The magnetic field topology of the two stars in the earlier epoch (2014) is very different. The fractions of energy in the dipole and quadrupole components of the secondary are similar and thereafter decrease with increasing harmonic angular degree ℓ. At the same time, for the primary the fraction of energy in the dipole component is low and the maximum energy contribution comes from ℓ = 4. However, in the 2017 epoch both stars have similar field topologies and a systematically decreasing energy with increasing ℓ. In the earlier epoch, the magnetic field at the visible pole appears to be of opposite polarity for the primary and secondary, suggesting linked magnetospheres. The apparent rotational periods of both σ2 CrB components are longer than the orbital period, which we interpret as an evidence of a solar-like differential rotation. Conclusions. Despite their nearly identical fundamental parameters, the components of σ2 CrB system exhibit different magnetic field properties. This indicates that the magnetic dynamo process is a very sensitive function of stellar parameters.

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S264) ◽  
pp. 257-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina H. Mandrini

AbstractFree energy stored in the magnetic field is the source that powers solar and stellar activity at all temporal and spatial scales. The energy released during transient atmospheric events is contained in current-carrying magnetic fields that have emerged twisted and may be further stressed via motions in the lower atmospheric layers (i.e. loop-footpoint motions). Magnetic reconnection is thought to be the mechanism through which the stored magnetic energy is transformed into kinetic energy of accelerated particles and mass flows, and radiative energy along the whole electromagnetic spectrum. This mechanism works efficiently at scale lengths much below the spatial resolution of even the highest resolution solar instruments; however, it may imply a large-scale restructuring of the magnetic field inferred indirectly from the combined analysis of observations and models of the magnetic field topology. The aftermath of magnetic energy release includes events ranging from nanoflares, which are below our detection limit, to powerful flares, which may be accompanied by the ejection of large amounts of plasma and magnetic field (so called coronal mass ejections, CMEs), depending on the amount of total available free magnetic energy, the magnetic flux density distribution, the magnetic field configuration, etc. We describe key observational signatures of flares and CMEs on the Sun, their magnetic field topology, and discuss how the combined analysis of solar and interplanetary observations can be used to constrain the flare/CME ejection mechanism.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S264) ◽  
pp. 130-135
Author(s):  
Stephen C. Marsden ◽  
Sandra V. Jeffers ◽  
Jean-Francois Donati ◽  
Matthew W. Mengel ◽  
Ian A. Waite ◽  
...  

AbstractA key part of the modern-day regenerative solar magnetic dynamo is the reversal of the Sun's global magnetic field every eleven years. However, recent theoretical models indicate that young-rapidly rotating Sun-like stars may not always undergo full magnetic reversals, but instead may sometimes undergo “attempted” reversals where the magnetic field declines in strength only to return with the same polarity. Using the technique of Zeeman Doppler imaging we have mapped the magnetic field topology of a small sample of young Sun-like stars at multiple epochs, and present tentative evidence of an “attempted” magnetic field reversal on one of our stars.


2020 ◽  
Vol 633 ◽  
pp. A48 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Folsom ◽  
D. Ó Fionnagáin ◽  
L. Fossati ◽  
A. A. Vidotto ◽  
C. Moutou ◽  
...  

Context. 55 Cancri hosts five known exoplanets, most notably the hot super-Earth 55 Cnc e, which is one of the hottest known transiting super-Earths. Aims. Because of the short orbital separation and host star brightness, 55 Cnc e provides one of the best opportunities for studying star-planet interactions (SPIs). We aim to understand possible SPIs in this system, which requires a detailed understanding of the stellar magnetic field and wind impinging on the planet. Methods. Using spectropolarimetric observations and Zeeman Doppler Imaging, we derived a map of the large-scale stellar magnetic field. We then simulated the stellar wind starting from the magnetic field map, using a 3D magneto-hydrodynamic model. Results. The map of the large-scale stellar magnetic field we derive has an average strength of 3.4 G. The field has a mostly dipolar geometry; the dipole is tilted by 90° with respect to the rotation axis and the dipolar strength is 5.8 G at the magnetic pole. The wind simulations based on this magnetic geometry lead us to conclude that 55 Cnc e orbits inside the Alfvén surface of the stellar wind, implying that effects from the planet on the wind can propagate back to the stellar surface and result in SPI.


2021 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 92-95
Author(s):  
A.I. Podgorny ◽  
◽  
I.M. Podgorny ◽  
A.V. Borisenko ◽  
N.S. Meshalkina ◽  
...  

Primordial release of solar flare energy high in corona (at altitudes 1/40 - 1/20 of the solar radius) is explained by release of the magnetic energy of the current sheet. The observed manifestations of the flare are explained by the electrodynamical model of a solar flare proposed by I. M. Podgorny. To study the flare mechanism is necessary to perform MHD simulations above a real active region (AR). MHD simulation in the solar corona in the real scale of time can only be carried out thanks to parallel calculations using CUDA technology. Methods have been developed for stabilizing numerical instabilities that arise near the boundary of the computational domain. Methods are applicable for low viscosities in the main part of the domain, for which the flare energy is effectively accumulated near the singularities of the magnetic field. Singular lines of the magnetic field, near which the field can have a rather complex configuration, coincide or are located near the observed positions of the flare.


2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory G. Howes ◽  
Sofiane Bourouaine

Plasma turbulence occurs ubiquitously in space and astrophysical plasmas, mediating the nonlinear transfer of energy from large-scale electromagnetic fields and plasma flows to small scales at which the energy may be ultimately converted to plasma heat. But plasma turbulence also generically leads to a tangling of the magnetic field that threads through the plasma. The resulting wander of the magnetic field lines may significantly impact a number of important physical processes, including the propagation of cosmic rays and energetic particles, confinement in magnetic fusion devices and the fundamental processes of turbulence, magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration. The various potential impacts of magnetic field line wander are reviewed in detail, and a number of important theoretical considerations are identified that may influence the development and saturation of magnetic field line wander in astrophysical plasma turbulence. The results of nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of kinetic Alfvén wave turbulence of sub-ion length scales are evaluated to understand the development and saturation of the turbulent magnetic energy spectrum and of the magnetic field line wander. It is found that turbulent space and astrophysical plasmas are generally expected to contain a stochastic magnetic field due to the tangling of the field by strong plasma turbulence. Future work will explore how the saturated magnetic field line wander varies as a function of the amplitude of the plasma turbulence and the ratio of the thermal to magnetic pressure, known as the plasma beta.


1984 ◽  
Vol 144 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya. B. Zel'Dovich ◽  
A. A. Ruzmaikin ◽  
S. A. Molchanov ◽  
D. D. Sokoloff

A magnetic field is shown to be asymptotically (t → ∞) decaying in a flow of finite conductivity with v = Cr, where C = Cζ(t) is a random matrix. The decay is exponential, and its rate does not depend on the conductivity. However, the magnetic energy increases exponentially owing to growth of the domain occupied by the field. The spatial distribution of the magnetic field is a set of thin ropes and (or) layers.


2011 ◽  
Vol 741 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. McLean ◽  
E. Berger ◽  
J. Irwin ◽  
J. Forbrich ◽  
A. Reiners

2018 ◽  
Vol 1100 ◽  
pp. 012007
Author(s):  
G Consolini ◽  
V Quattrociocchi ◽  
M F Marcucci

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amnon Fruchtman

Penetration of a magnetic field into plasma that is faster than resistive diffusion can be induced by the Hall electric field in a non-uniform plasma. This mechanism explained successfully the measured velocity of the magnetic field penetration into pulsed plasmas. Major related issues have not yet been resolved. Such is the theoretically predicted, but so far not verified experimentally, high magnetic energy dissipation, as well as the correlation between the directions of the density gradient and of the field penetration.


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