ALBERT

Description: The large-scale field of the Sun is well represented by its lowest energy (or potential) state. Recent observations, by comparison, reveal that many solar-type stars show large-scale surface magnetic fields that are highly non-potential – that is, they have been stressed above their lowest energy state. This non-potential component of the surface field is neglected by current stellar wind models. The aim of this paper is to determine its effect on the coronal structure and wind. We use Zeeman–Doppler surface magnetograms of two stars – one with an almost potential, one with a non-potential surface field – to extrapolate a static model of the coronal structure for each star. We find that the stresses are carried almost exclusively in a band of unidirectional azimuthal field that is confined to mid-latitudes. Using this static solution as an initial state for a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wind model, we then find that the final state is determined primarily by the potential component of the surface magnetic field. The band of azimuthal field must be confined close to the stellar surface, as it is not compatible with a steady-state wind. By artificially increasing the stellar rotation rate, we demonstrate that the observed azimuthal fields cannot be produced by the action of the wind but must be due to processes at or below the stellar surface. We conclude that the background winds of solar-like stars are largely unaffected by these highly stressed surface fields. Nonetheless, the increased flare activity and associated coronal mass ejections that may be expected to accompany such highly stressed fields may have a significant impact on any surrounding planets.

Description: Exoplanets in extremely close-in orbits are immersed in a local interplanetary medium (i.e. the stellar wind) much denser than the local conditions encountered around the Solar system planets. The environment surrounding these exoplanets also differs in terms of dynamics (slower stellar winds, but higher Keplerian velocities) and ambient magnetic fields (likely higher for host stars more active than the Sun). Here, we quantitatively investigate the nature of the interplanetary media surrounding the hot Jupiters HD 46375b, HD 73256b, HD 102195b, HD 130322b and HD 179949b. We simulate the three-dimensional winds of their host stars, in which we directly incorporate their observed surface magnetic fields. With that, we derive mass-loss rates (1.9–8.0 x 10 –13 M yr –1 ) and the wind properties at the position of the hot Jupiters’ orbits (temperature, velocity, magnetic field intensity and pressure). We show that these exoplanets’ orbits are supermagnetosonic, indicating that bow shocks are formed surrounding these planets. Assuming planetary magnetic fields similar to Jupiter's, we estimate planetary magnetospheric sizes of 4.1–5.6 planetary radii. We also derive the exoplanetary radio emission released in the dissipation of the stellar wind energy. We find radio fluxes ranging from 0.02 to 0.13 mJy, which are challenging to be observed with present-day technology, but could be detectable with future higher sensitivity arrays (e.g. Square Kilometre Array). Radio emission from systems having closer hot Jupiters, such as from  Boo b or HD 189733b, or from nearby planetary systems orbiting young stars, are likely to have higher radio fluxes, presenting better prospects for detecting exoplanetary radio emission.

Description: Spectropolarimetric observations have been used to map stellar magnetic fields, many of which display strong bands of azimuthal fields that are toroidal. A number of explanations have been proposed to explain how such fields might be generated though none are definitive. In this paper, we examine the toroidal fields of a sample of 55 stars with magnetic maps, with masses in the range 0.1–1.5 M . We find that the energy contained in toroidal fields has a power-law dependence on the energy contained in poloidal fields. However the power index is not constant across our sample, with stars less and more massive than 0.5 M having power indices of 0.72 ± 0.08 and 1.25 ± 0.06, respectively. There is some evidence that these two power laws correspond to stars in the saturated and unsaturated regimes of the rotation-activity relation. Additionally, our sample shows that strong toroidal fields must be generated axisymmetrically. The latitudes at which these bands appear depend on the stellar rotation period with fast rotators displaying higher latitude bands than slow rotators. The results in this paper present new constraints for future dynamo studies.

Description: We report results of a spectropolarimetric and photometric monitoring of the weak-line T Tauri stars (wTTSs) V819 Tau and V830 Tau within the MaTYSSE (Magnetic Topologies of Young Stars and the Survival of close-in giant Exoplanets) programme, involving the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope. At ~=3 Myr, both stars dissipated their discs recently and are interesting objects for probing star and planet formation. Profile distortions and Zeeman signatures are detected in the unpolarized and circularly polarized lines, whose rotational modulation we modelled using tomographic imaging, yielding brightness and magnetic maps for both stars. We find that the large-scale magnetic fields of V819 Tau and V830 Tau are mostly poloidal and can be approximated at large radii by 350–400 G dipoles tilted at ~=30° to the rotation axis. They are significantly weaker than the field of GQ Lup, an accreting classical T Tauri star (cTTS) with similar mass and age which can be used to compare the magnetic properties of wTTSs and cTTSs. The reconstructed brightness maps of both stars include cool spots and warm plages. Surface differential rotation is small, typically ~=4.4 times smaller than on the Sun, in agreement with previous results on wTTSs. Using our Doppler images to model the activity jitter and filter it out from the radial velocity (RV) curves, we obtain RV residuals with dispersions of 0.033 and 0.104 km s –1 for V819 Tau and V830 Tau, respectively. RV residuals suggest that a hot Jupiter may be orbiting V830 Tau, though additional data are needed to confirm this preliminary result. We find no evidence for close-in giant planet around V819 Tau.

Description: Spectropolarimetric observations have been used to map stellar magnetic fields, many of which display strong bands of azimuthal fields that are toroidal. A number of explanations have been proposed to explain how such fields might be generated though none are definitive. In this paper, we examine the toroidal fields of a sample of 55 stars with magnetic maps, with masses in the range 0.1–1.5 M . We find that the energy contained in toroidal fields has a power-law dependence on the energy contained in poloidal fields. However the power index is not constant across our sample, with stars less and more massive than 0.5 M having power indices of 0.72 ± 0.08 and 1.25 ± 0.06, respectively. There is some evidence that these two power laws correspond to stars in the saturated and unsaturated regimes of the rotation-activity relation. Additionally, our sample shows that strong toroidal fields must be generated axisymmetrically. The latitudes at which these bands appear depend on the stellar rotation period with fast rotators displaying higher latitude bands than slow rotators. The results in this paper present new constraints for future dynamo studies.

Description: The surface rotation rates of young solar-type stars vary rapidly with age from the end of the pre-main sequence through the early main sequence. Important changes in the dynamos operating in these stars may result from this evolution, which should be observable in their surface magnetic fields. Here we present a study aimed at observing the evolution of these magnetic fields through this critical time period. We observed stars in open clusters and stellar associations of known ages, and used Zeeman Doppler imaging to characterize their complex magnetic large-scale fields. Presented here are results for 15 stars, from five associations, with ages from 20 to 250 Myr, masses from 0.7 to 1.2 M , and rotation periods from 0.4 to 6 d. We find complex large-scale magnetic field geometries, with global average strengths from 14 to 140 G. There is a clear trend towards decreasing average large-scale magnetic field strength with age, and a tight correlation between magnetic field strength and Rossby number. Comparing the magnetic properties of our zero-age main-sequence sample to those of both younger and older stars, it appears that the magnetic evolution of solar-type stars during the pre-main sequence is primarily driven by structural changes, while it closely follows the stars’ rotational evolution on the main sequence.

Description: We report results of a spectropolarimetric and photometric monitoring of the weak-line T Tauri star LkCa 4 within the Magnetic Topologies of Young Stars and the Survival of close-in giant Exoplanets (MaTYSSE) programme, involving ESPaDOnS at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope. Despite an age of only 2 Myr and a similarity with prototypical classical T Tauri stars, LkCa 4 shows no evidence for accretion and probes an interesting transition stage for star and planet formation. Large profile distortions and Zeeman signatures are detected in the unpolarized and circularly polarized lines of LkCa 4 using Least-Squares Deconvolution (LSD), indicating the presence of brightness inhomogeneities and magnetic fields at the surface of LkCa 4. Using tomographic imaging, we reconstruct brightness and magnetic maps of LkCa 4 from sets of unpolarized and circularly polarized LSD profiles. The large-scale field is strong and mainly axisymmetric, featuring a ~=2 kG poloidal component and a ~=1 kG toroidal component encircling the star at equatorial latitudes – the latter making LkCa 4 markedly different from classical T Tauri stars of similar mass and age. The brightness map includes a dark spot overlapping the magnetic pole and a bright region at mid-latitudes – providing a good match to the contemporaneous photometry. We also find that differential rotation at the surface of LkCa 4 is small, typically ~=5.5 times weaker than that of the Sun, and compatible with solid-body rotation. Using our tomographic modelling, we are able to filter out the activity jitter in the radial velocity curve of LkCa 4 (of full amplitude 4.3 km s –1 ) down to an rms precision of 0.055 km s –1 . Looking for hot Jupiters around young Sun-like stars thus appears feasible, even though we find no evidence for such planets around LkCa 4.

Description: Direct comparison between stellar and solar magnetic maps is hampered by their dramatic differences in resolution. Here, we present a method to filter out the small-scale component of vector fields, in such a way that comparison between solar and stellar (large-scale) magnetic field vector maps can be directly made. Our approach extends the technique widely used to decompose the radial component of the solar magnetic field to the azimuthal and meridional components as well. For that, we self-consistently decompose the three-components of the vector field using spherical harmonics of different l degrees. By retaining the low l degrees in the decomposition, we are able to calculate the large-scale magnetic field vector. Using a synoptic map of the solar vector field at Carrington Rotation CR2109, we derive the solar magnetic field vector at a similar resolution level as that from stellar magnetic images. We demonstrate that the large-scale field of the Sun is not purely radial, as often assumed – at CR2109, 83 per cent of the magnetic energy is in the radial component, while 10 per cent is in the azimuthal and 7 per cent is in the meridional components. By separating the vector field into poloidal and toroidal components, we show that the solar magnetic energy at CR2109 is mainly (〉90 per cent) poloidal. Our description is entirely consistent with the description adopted in several stellar studies. Our formalism can also be used to confront synoptic maps synthesized in numerical simulations of dynamo and magnetic flux transport studies to those derived from stellar observations.

Description: We present new wind models for Boötis ( Boo), a hot-Jupiter-host-star whose observable magnetic cycles makes it a uniquely useful target for our goal of monitoring the temporal variability of stellar winds and their exoplanetary impacts. Using spectropolarimetric observations from May 2009 to January 2015, the most extensive information of this type yet available, to reconstruct the stellar magnetic field, we produce multiple 3D magnetohydrodynamic stellar wind models. Our results show that characteristic changes in the large-scale magnetic field as the star undergoes magnetic cycles produce changes in the wind properties, both globally and locally at the position of the orbiting planet. Whilst the mass loss rate of the star varies by only a minimal amount (~4 per cent), the rates of angular momentum loss and associated spin-down time-scales are seen to vary widely (up to ~140 per cent), findings consistent with and extending previous research. In addition, we find that temporal variation in the global wind is governed mainly by changes in total magnetic flux rather than changes in wind plasma properties. The magnetic pressure varies with time and location and dominates the stellar wind pressure at the planetary orbit. By assuming a Jovian planetary magnetic field for Boo b, we nevertheless conclude that the planetary magnetosphere can remain stable in size for all observed stellar cycle epochs, despite significant changes in the stellar field and the resulting local space weather environment.

Description: We report results of a spectropolarimetric and photometric monitoring of the weak-line T Tauri stars (wTTSs) V819 Tau and V830 Tau within the MaTYSSE (Magnetic Topologies of Young Stars and the Survival of close-in giant Exoplanets) programme, involving the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope. At ~=3 Myr, both stars dissipated their discs recently and are interesting objects for probing star and planet formation. Profile distortions and Zeeman signatures are detected in the unpolarized and circularly polarized lines, whose rotational modulation we modelled using tomographic imaging, yielding brightness and magnetic maps for both stars. We find that the large-scale magnetic fields of V819 Tau and V830 Tau are mostly poloidal and can be approximated at large radii by 350–400 G dipoles tilted at ~=30° to the rotation axis. They are significantly weaker than the field of GQ Lup, an accreting classical T Tauri star (cTTS) with similar mass and age which can be used to compare the magnetic properties of wTTSs and cTTSs. The reconstructed brightness maps of both stars include cool spots and warm plages. Surface differential rotation is small, typically ~=4.4 times smaller than on the Sun, in agreement with previous results on wTTSs. Using our Doppler images to model the activity jitter and filter it out from the radial velocity (RV) curves, we obtain RV residuals with dispersions of 0.033 and 0.104 km s –1 for V819 Tau and V830 Tau, respectively. RV residuals suggest that a hot Jupiter may be orbiting V830 Tau, though additional data are needed to confirm this preliminary result. We find no evidence for close-in giant planet around V819 Tau.