scholarly journals Planetary tidal interactions and the rotational evolution of low-mass stars

2018 ◽  
Vol 619 ◽  
pp. A80 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Gallet ◽  
E. Bolmont ◽  
J. Bouvier ◽  
S. Mathis ◽  
C. Charbonnel

Context. The surface angular velocity evolution of low-mass stars is now globally understood and the main physical mechanisms involved in it are observationally quite constrained. However, while the general behaviour of these mechanisms is grasped, their theoretical description is still under ongoing work. This is the case, for instance, about the description of the physical process that extracts angular momentum from the radiative core, which could be described by several theoretical candidates. Additionally, recent observations showed anomalies in the rotation period distribution of open cluster, main sequence, early K-type stars that cannot be reproduced by current angular momentum evolution models. Aims. In this work, we study the parameter space of star-planet system’s configurations to investigate if including the tidal star-planet interaction in angular momentum evolution models could reproduce the anomalies of this rotation period distribution. Methods. To study this effect, we use a parametric angular momentum evolution model that allows for core-envelope decoupling and angular momentum extraction by magnetized stellar wind that we coupled to an orbital evolution code where we take into account the torque due to the tides raised on the star by the planet. We explore different stellar and planetary configurations (stellar mass from 0.5 to 1.0 M⊙ and planetary mass from 10 M⊕ to 13 Mjup) to study their effect on the planetary orbital and stellar rotational evolution. Results. The stellar angular momentum is the most impacted by the star-planet interaction when the planet is engulfed during the early main sequence phase. Thus, if a close-in Jupiter-mass planet is initially located at around 50% of the stellar corotation radius, a kink in the rotational period distribution opens around late and early K-type stars during the early main sequence phase. Conclusions. Tidal star-planet interactions can create a kink in the rotation period distribution of low-mass stars, which could possibly account for unexpected scatter seen in the rotational period distribution of young stellar clusters.

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S243) ◽  
pp. 231-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Bouvier

AbstractStar-disk interaction is thought to drive the angular momentum evolution of young stars. In this review, I present the latest results obtained on the rotational properties of low mass and very low mass pre-main sequence stars. I discuss the evidence for extremely efficient angular momentum removal over the first few Myr of pre-main sequence evolution and describe recent results that support an accretion-driven braking mechanism. Angular momentum evolution models are presented and their implication for accretion disk lifetimes discussed.


2004 ◽  
Vol 215 ◽  
pp. 127-135
Author(s):  
John R. Stauffer

Bob Kraft (1967) showed that there is a break in the mean rotational velocity of stars at about spectral type F5, with more massive stars generally being rapid rotators and less massive stars generally being slow rotators. He also showed that in the late F spectral range at least, there is an evolution with time on the main sequence, with younger F stars being more rapidly rotating. Kraft's observational database extended only to about one solar mass due to the sensitivy limitations of photographic plates. Modern observations of low mass stars in open clusters, extending down in mass to nearly the hydrogen burning mass limit in a few clusters, have since been used to show that rotational spindown is the common feature of stars less massive than the sun but that there is a wide spread in rotational velocities when stars arrive on the ZAMS. I will review what is known empirically concerning the rotational velocities of intermediate and low mass field stars, using the open cluster data to place the field star observations in context.


2020 ◽  
Vol 636 ◽  
pp. A76 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Spada ◽  
A. C. Lanzafame

Solar-like stars (M ≲ 1.3 M⊙) lose angular momentum through their magnetized winds. The resulting evolution of the surface rotation period, which can be directly measured photometrically, has the potential to be an accurate indicator of stellar age, and is constrained by observations of rotation periods of coeval stars, such as members of Galactic open clusters. A prominent observational feature of the mass–rotation period diagrams of open clusters is a sequence of relatively slower rotators. The formation and persistence of this slow-rotator sequence across several billion years imply an approximately coherent spin-down of the stars that belong to it. In particular, the sequence is observed to evolve coherently toward longer periods in progressively older clusters. Recent observations of the ≈700 Myr Praesepe and the 1 Gyr NGC 6811 clusters, however, are not fully consistent with this general pattern. While the stars of 1 M⊙ on the slow-rotator sequence of the older NGC 6811 have longer periods than their counterparts in the younger Praesepe, as expected, the two sequences essentially merge at lower masses (≲0.8 M⊙). In other words, it seems that low-mass stars have not been spinning down in the intervening 300 Myr. Here we show that this behavior is a manifestation of the variable rotational coupling in solar-like stars. The resurfacing of angular momentum from the interior can temporarily compensate for that lost at the surface due to wind braking. In our model the internal redistribution of angular momentum has a steep mass dependence; as a result, the re-coupling occurs at different ages for stars of different masses. The semi-empirical mass dependence of the rotational coupling timescale included in our model produces an evolution of the slow-rotator sequence in very good agreement with the observations. Our model, in particular, explains the stalled surface spin-down of low-mass stars between Praesepe and NGC 6811, and predicts that the same behavior should be observable at other ages in other mass ranges.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S243) ◽  
pp. 241-248
Author(s):  
Jochen Eislöffel ◽  
Alexander Scholz

AbstractThe evolution of angular momentum is a key to our understanding of star formation and stellar evolution. The rotational evolution of solar-mass stars is mostly controlled by magnetic interaction with the circumstellar disc and angular momentum loss through stellar winds. Major differences in the internal structure of very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs – they are believed to be fully convective throughout their lives, and thus should not operate a solar-type dynamo – may lead to major differences in the rotation and activity of these objects. Here, we report on observational studies to understand the rotational evolution of the very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S239) ◽  
pp. 311-313
Author(s):  
Natália R. Landin ◽  
Paolo Ventura ◽  
Francesca D'Antona ◽  
Luiz T. S. Mendes ◽  
Luiz P. R. Vaz

AbstractThe observational data of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) is reanalyzed by means of new sets of pre-main sequence (PMS) evolutionary tracks including rotation, non-gray boundary conditions (BC's) and either low (LCE) or high convection efficiency (HCE), aiming better understanding of the appropriate physical constraints for the rotational evolution of the stars within the ONC. The role played by convection is a key aspect of our analysis, since there are conflicting results from theory and observations. We derived stellar masses and ages for the ONC by using both LCE and HCE and considered was the role of non-gray atmospheres. Our results show that the resulting mass distribution for the bulk of the ONC population is in the range 0.2-0.4M⊙ for our non-gray models, and in the range 0.1-0.3M⊙ for gray models. In agreement with previous works, we found that a large percentage (∼70%) of low-mass stars (M≤Mtr, where Mtr is a transition mass) in the ONC appears to be fast rotators (P<4days). Mtr depends on the model choosen, being Mtr=0.5 for LCE, Mtr=0.35 for HCE and, as found in previous works, Mtr=0.25 for gray models. Finally, our analysis indicates that a second parameter is needed for a proper description of convection in the PMS phase.


2004 ◽  
Vol 219 ◽  
pp. 228-232
Author(s):  
K. Briggs ◽  
M. Güdel ◽  
M. Audard ◽  
K. Smith ◽  
R. Mewe ◽  
...  

X-ray emission from > 100 pre-main sequence (PMS) stars in the Orion star-forming complex is studied in a 20-ks observation by XMM-Newton. No relation between the ratio of X-ray and bolometric luminosities, LX/Lbol, and rotation period or Rossby number is exhibited, though the action of a solar-like dynamo is not excluded because all stars would appear to be in the “saturated regime” of such a dynamo. Low-mass stars showing a strong U — V excess have lower median X-ray luminosity, suggesting that accretion suppresses magnetic activity.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S258) ◽  
pp. 363-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Irwin ◽  
Jerome Bouvier

AbstractWe summarise recent progress in the understanding of the rotational evolution of low-mass stars (here defined as solar mass down to the hydrogen burning limit) both in terms of observations and modelling. Wide-field imaging surveys on moderate-size telescopes can now efficiently derive rotation periods for hundreds to thousands of open cluster members, providing unprecedented sample sizes which are ripe for exploration. We summarise the available measurements, and provide simple phenomenological and model-based interpretations of the presently-available data, while highlighting regions of parameter space where more observations are required, particularly at the lowest masses and ages ≳500 Myr.


2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Warrick A. Lawson ◽  
Lisa A. Crause

AbstractWe present the results of a photometric survey for variability in ten X-ray-emitting low-mass stars in the Chamaeleon region. Eight of the stars we observed are bona fide pre-main-sequence members of the ∼2 Myr-old Chamaeleon I star-forming cloud. The other two stars are young with high levels of relative X-ray emission, but with discordant proper motions they are probable non-members of the cloud. In six of the stars we monitored, periodic variations on timescales of 2.5–11.5 d were detected, that we ascribe to stellar rotation and the presence of cool starspots. Two other stars, CHXR 20 and CHXR 85, show large amplitude variations at visual and near-infrared wavelengths and are candidate eclipsing binaries. Compared to the rotational properties of low-mass stars in the ≈8 Myr-old η Chamaeleontis cluster, we find that the older η Chamaeleontis stars have several times higher surface specific angular momentum than the younger Chamaeleon I stars. The apparent increase in angular momentum between ∼2 and 8 Myr might be due to changes in stellar internal structure as the stars evolve, or evidence for a different rotational history between members of the two star-forming regions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (3) ◽  
pp. 3481-3493
Author(s):  
Louis Amard ◽  
Julia Roquette ◽  
Sean P Matt

ABSTRACT A curious rotation period distribution in the colour–magnitude–period diagram (CMPD) of the Kepler field was recently revealed, thanks to data from Gaia and Kepler spacecraft. It was found that redder and brighter stars are spinning slower than the rest of the main sequence. On the theoretical side, it was demonstrated that metallicity should affect the rotational evolution of stars as well as their evolution in the Hertzprung–Rüssel or colour–magnitude diagram. In this work, we combine this data set with medium- and high-resolution spectroscopic metallicities and carefully select main-sequence single stars in a given mass range. We show that the structure seen in the CMPD also corresponds to a broad correlation between metallicity and rotation, such that stars with higher metallicity rotate, on average, more slowly than those with low metallicity. We compare this sample to theoretical rotational evolution models that include a range of different metallicities. They predict a correlation between rotation rate and metallicity that is in the same direction and of about the same magnitude as that observed. Therefore, metallicity appears to be a key parameter to explain the observed rotation period distributions. We also discuss a few different ways in which metallicity can affect the observed distribution of rotation period, due to observational biases and age distributions, as well as the effect on stellar wind torques.


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