M. Jardine

Large-scale magnetic topologies of late M dwarfs★: Magnetic topologies of late M dwarfs

We present here the final results of the first spectropolarimetric survey of a small sample of active M dwarfs, aimed at providing observational constraints on dynamo action on both sides of the full-convection threshold (spectral type M4). Our two previous studies (Donati et al. 2008b; Morin et al. 2008b) were focused on early and mid M dwarfs. The present paper examines 11 fully convective late M dwarfs (spectral types M5–M8). Tomographic imaging techniques were applied to time-series of circularly polarised profiles of 6 stars, in order to infer their large-scale magnetic topologies. For 3 other stars we could not produce such magnetic maps, because of low variability of the Stokes V signatures, but were able to derive some properties of the magnetic fields. We find 2 distinct categories of magnetic topologies: on the one hand strong axisymmetric dipolar fields (similar to mid M dwarfs), and on the other hand weak fields generally featuring a significant non-axisymmetric component, and sometimes a significant toroidal one. Comparison with unsigned magnetic fluxes demonstrates that the second category of magnetic fields shows less organization (less energy in the large scales), similarly to partly convective early M dwarfs. Stars in both categories have similar stellar parameters, our data do not evidence a separation between these 2 categories in the mass-rotation plane. We also report marginal detection of a large-scale magnetic field on the M8 star VB 10 featuring a significant toroidal axisymmetric component, whereas no field is detectable on VB 8 (M7).

Magnetic fields and accretion flows on the classical T Tauri star V2129 Oph

From observations collected with the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter, we report the discovery of magnetic fields at the surface of the mildly accreting classical T Tauri star V2129 Oph. Zeeman signatures are detected, both in photospheric lines and in the emission lines formed at the base of the accretion funnels linking the disc to the protostar, and monitored over the whole rotation cycle of V2129 Oph. We observe that rotational modulation dominates the temporal variations of both unpolarized and circularly polarized line profiles. We reconstruct the large-scale magnetic topology at the surface of V2129 Oph from both sets of Zeeman signatures simultaneously. We find it to be rather complex, with a dominant octupolar component and a weak dipole of strengths 1.2 and 0.35 kG, respectively, both slightly tilted with respect to the rotation axis. The large-scale field is anchored in a pair of 2-kG unipolar radial field spots located at high latitudes and coinciding with cool dark polar spots at photospheric level. This large-scale field geometry is unusually complex compared to those of non-accreting cool active subgiants with moderate rotation rates. As an illustration, we provide a first attempt at modelling the magnetospheric topology and accretion funnels of V2129 Oph using field extrapolation. We find that the magnetosphere of V2129 Oph must extend to about 7R* to ensure that the footpoints of accretion funnels coincide with the high-latitude accretion spots on the stellar surface. It suggests that the stellar magnetic field succeeds in coupling to the accretion disc as far out as the corotation radius, and could possibly explain the slow rotation of V2129 Oph. The magnetospheric geometry we derive produces X-ray coronal fluxes typical of those observed in cTTSs.

The large-scale axisymmetric magnetic topology of a very-low-mass fully convective star.

Understanding how cool stars produce magnetic fields within their interiors is crucial for predicting the impact of such fields, such as the activity cycle of the Sun. In this respect, studying fully convective stars enables us to investigate the role of convective zones in magnetic field generation. We produced a magnetic map of a rapidly rotating, very-low-mass, fully convective dwarf through tomographic imaging from time series of spectropolarimetric data. Our results, which demonstrate that fully convective stars are able to trigger axisymmetric large-scale poloidal fields without differential rotation, challenge existing theoretical models of field generation in cool stars.

Stellar magnetism: empirical trends with age and rotation

We investigate how the observed large-scale surface magnetic fields of low-mass stars (∼0.1– 2M� ), reconstructed through Zeeman–Doppler imaging, vary with age t, rotation and Xray emission. Our sample consists of 104 magnetic maps of 73 stars, from accreting premain sequence to main-sequence objects (1Myr t 10 Gyr). For non-accreting dwarfs we empirically find that the unsigned average large-scale surface field is related to age as t −0.655 ± 0.045 . This relation has a similar dependence to that identified by Skumanich, used as the basis for gyrochronology. Likewise, our relation could be used as an age-dating method (‘magnetochronology’). The trends with rotation we find for the large-scale stellar magnetism are consistent with the trends found from Zeeman broadening measurements (sensitive to large- and small-scale fields). These similarities indicate that the fields recovered from both techniques are coupled to each other, suggesting that small- and large-scale fields could share the same dynamo field generation processes. For the accreting objects, fewer statistically significant relations are found, with one being a correlation between the unsigned magnetic flux and rotation period. We attribute this to a signature of star–disc interaction, rather than being driven by the dynamo.

Magnetic cycles of the planet-hosting star τ Bootis

We have obtained new spectropolarimetric observations of the planet-hosting star τ Bootis, using the ESPaDOnS and NARVAL spectropolarimeters at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and Telescope Bernard Lyot (TBL). With this data set, we are able to confirm the presence of a magnetic field at the surface of τ Boo and map its large-scale structure over the whole star. The large-scale magnetic field is found to be fairly complex, with a strength of up to 10 G; it features a dominant poloidal field and a small toroidal component, the poloidal component being significantly more complex than a dipole. The overall polarity of the magnetic field has reversed with respect to our previous observation (obtained a year before), strongly suggesting that τ Boo is undergoing magnetic cycles similar to those of the Sun. This is the first time that a global magnetic polarity switch is observed in a star other than the Sun; given the infrequent occurrence of such events in the Sun, we speculate that the magnetic cycle period of τ Boo is much shorter than that of the Sun. Our new data also allow us to confirm the presence of differential rotation, both from the shape of the line profiles and the latitudinal shearing that the magnetic structure is undergoing. The differential rotation surface shear that τ Boo experiences is found to be 6 to 10 times larger than that of the Sun, in good agreement with recent claims that differential rotation is strongest in stars with shallow convective zones. We propose that the short-magnetic cycle period is due to the strong level of differential rotation. With a rotation period of 3.0 and 3.9 d at the equator and pole, respectively, τ Boo appears as the first planet-hosting star whose rotation (at intermediate latitudes) is synchronized with the orbital motion of its giant planet (period 3.3 d). Assuming that this synchronization is not coincidental, it suggests that the tidal effects induced by the giant planet can be strong enough to force the thin convective envelope (though not the whole star) into corotation. We also detect time-dependent activity fluctuations on τ Boo, but cannot unambiguously determine whether they are intrinsic to the star or induced by the planet; more observations of similar type are needed to determine the role of the close-in giant planet orbiting τ Boo on both the activity enhancements and the magnetic cycle of the host star.

Magnetic cycles of the planet-hosting star τ Bootis – II. A second magnetic polarity reversal

In this paper, we present new spectropolarimetric observations of the planet- hosting starBootis, using ESPaDOnS and Narval spectropolarimeters at Canada- France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and Telescope Bernard Lyot (TBL), respectively. We detected the magnetic field of the star at three epochs in 2008. It is a weak magnetic field of only a few Gauss, oscillating between a predominant toroidal com- ponent in January and a dominant poloidal component in June and July. A magnetic polarity reversal was observed relative to the magnetic topology in June 2007. This is the second such reversal observed in two years on this star, suggesting thatBoo has a magnetic cycle of about 2 years. This is the first detection of a magnetic cycle for a star other than the Sun. The role of the close-in massive planet in the short activity cycle of the star is questioned. � Boo has strong differential rotation, a common trend for stars with shallow convective envelope. At latitude 40 ◦ , the surface layer of the star rotates in 3.31 d, equal to the orbital period. Synchronization suggests that the tidal effects induced by the planet may be strong enough to force at least the thin convective envelope into corotation. � Boo shows variability in the Ca II H & K and Hthroughout the night and on a night to night time scale. We do not detect enhancement in the activity of the star that may be related to the conjunction of the planet. Further data is needed to conclude about the activity enhancement due to the planet.

Early UV Ingress in WASP-12b: Measuring Planetary Magnetic Fields

Recently, Fossati et?al. observed that the UV transit of WASP-12b showed an early ingress compared with the optical transit. We suggest that the resulting early ingress is caused by a bow shock ahead of the planetary orbital motion. In this Letter, we investigate the conditions that might lead to the formation of such a bow shock. We consider two scenarios: (1) the stellar magnetic field is strong enough to confine the hot coronal plasma out to the planetary orbit and (2) the stellar magnetic field is unable to confine the plasma, which escapes in a wind. In both cases, a shock capable of compressing plasma to the observed densities will form around the planet for plasma temperatures T (4-5) ? 106 K. In the confined case, the shock always forms directly ahead of the planet, but in the wind case the shock orientation depends on the wind speed and hence on the plasma temperature. For higher wind temperatures, the shock forms closer to the line of centers between the planet and the star. We conclude that shock formation leading to an observable early UV ingress is likely to be a common feature of transiting systems and may prove to be a useful tool in setting limits on planetary magnetic field strengths Bp . In the case of WASP-12b, we derive an upper limit of about Bp = 24 G.

The global magnetic topology of AB Doradus

We have used Zeeman-Doppler maps of the surface field of the young, rapid rotator AB Dor (P r o t = 0.514 d) to extrapolate the coronal field, assuming it to be potential. We find that the topology of the large-scale field is very similar in all three years for which we have images. The corona divides cleanly into regions of open and closed field. The open field originates in two mid-latitude regions of opposite polarity separated by about 180° of longitude. The closed field region forms a torus extending almost over each pole, with an axis that runs through these two longitudes. We have investigated the effect on the global topology of different forms of flux in the unobservable hemisphere and in the dark polar spot where the Zeeman signal is suppressed. The flux distribution in the unobservable hemisphere affects only the low-latitude topology, whereas the imposition of a unidirectional polar field forces the polar cap to be open. This contradicts observations that suggest that the closed field corona extends to high latitudes and leads us to propose that the polar cap may be composed of multipolar regions.

CAN WE PREDICT THE GLOBAL MAGNETIC TOPOLOGY OF A PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE STAR FROM ITS POSITION IN THE HERTZSPRUNG-RUSSELL DIAGRAM?

Zeeman-Doppler imaging studies have shown that the magnetic fields of T Tauri stars can be significantly more complex than a simple dipole and can vary markedly between sources. We collect and summarize the magnetic field topology information obtained to date and present Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagrams for the stars in the sample. Intriguingly, the large-scale field topology of a given pre-main-sequence (PMS) star is strongly dependent upon the stellar internal structure, with the strength of the dipole component of its multipolar magnetic field decaying rapidly with the development of a radiative core. Using the observational data as a basis, we argue that the general characteristics of the global magnetic field of a PMS star can be determined from its position in the H-R diagram. Moving from hotter and more luminous to cooler and less luminous stars across the PMS of the H-R diagram, we present evidence for four distinct magnetic topology regimes. Stars with large radiative cores, empirically estimated to be those with a core mass in excess of ~40% of the stellar mass, host highly complex and dominantly non-axisymmetric magnetic fields, while those with smaller radiative cores host axisymmetric fields with field modes of higher order than the dipole dominant (typically, but not always, the octupole). Fully convective stars above ≳ 0.5 M_☉ appear to host dominantly axisymmetric fields with strong (kilo-Gauss) dipole components. Based on similarities between the magnetic properties of PMS stars and main-sequence M-dwarfs with similar internal structures, we speculate that a bistable dynamo process operates for lower mass stars (≾ 0.5 M_☉ at an age of a few Myr) and that they will be found to host a variety of magnetic field topologies. If the magnetic topology trends across the H-R diagram are confirmed, they may provide a new method of constraining PMS stellar evolution models.

Surface magnetic fields on two accreting T Tauri stars: CV Cha and CR Cha

We have produced brightness and magnetic field maps of the surfaces of CV Cha and CR Cha: two actively accreting G- and K-type T Tauri stars in the Chamaeleon I star-forming cloud with ages of 3–5 Myr. Our magnetic field maps show evidence for strong, complex multipolar fields similar to those obtained for young rapidly rotating main-sequence stars. Brightness maps indicate the presence of dark polar caps and low-latitude spots – these brightness maps are very similar to those obtained for other pre-main-sequence and rapidly rotating main-sequence stars. Only two other classical T Tauri stars have been studied using similar techniques so far: V2129 Oph and BP Tau. CV Cha and CR Cha show magnetic field patterns that are significantly more complex than those recovered for BP Tau, a fully convective T Tauri star. We discuss possible reasons for this difference and suggest that the complexity of the stellar magnetic field is related to the convection zone; with more complex fields being found in T Tauri stars with radiative cores (V2129 Oph, CV Cha and CR Cha). However, it is clearly necessary to conduct magnetic field studies of T Tauri star systems, exploring a wide range of stellar parameters in order to establish how they affect magnetic field generation, and thus how these magnetic fields are likely to affect the evolution of T Tauri star systems as they approach the main sequence.