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Title: THE MASS-DEPENDENCE OF ANGULAR MOMENTUM EVOLUTION IN SUN-LIKE STARS

Abstract

To better understand the observed distributions of the rotation rate and magnetic activity of Sun-like and low-mass stars, we derive a physically motivated scaling for the dependence of the stellar wind torque on the Rossby number. The torque also contains an empirically derived scaling with stellar mass (and radius), which provides new insight into the mass-dependence of stellar magnetic and wind properties. We demonstrate that this new formulation explains why the lowest mass stars are observed to maintain rapid rotation for much longer than solar-mass stars, and simultaneously why older populations exhibit a sequence of slowly rotating stars, in which the low-mass stars rotate more slowly than solar-mass stars. The model also reproduces some previously unexplained features in the period-mass diagram for the Kepler field, notably: the particular shape of the ''upper envelope'' of the distribution, suggesting that ∼95% of Kepler field stars with measured rotation periods are younger than ∼4 Gyr; and the shape of the ''lower envelope'', corresponding to the location where stars transition between magnetically saturated and unsaturated regimes.

Authors:
; ;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, Physics Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QL (United Kingdom)
  2. Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CEA/Irfu Université Paris-Diderot CNRS/INSU, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
  3. Université de Grenoble Alpes, IPAG, F-38000 Grenoble (France)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22364356
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 799; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ANGULAR MOMENTUM; DIAGRAMS; MAGNETIC FIELDS; MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS; MAIN SEQUENCE STARS; MASS; ROTATION; STAR EVOLUTION; STELLAR WINDS; TORQUE

Citation Formats

Matt, Sean P., Baraffe, Isabelle, Chabrier, Gilles, Brun, A. Sacha, and Bouvier, Jérôme. THE MASS-DEPENDENCE OF ANGULAR MOMENTUM EVOLUTION IN SUN-LIKE STARS. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/799/2/L23.
Matt, Sean P., Baraffe, Isabelle, Chabrier, Gilles, Brun, A. Sacha, & Bouvier, Jérôme. THE MASS-DEPENDENCE OF ANGULAR MOMENTUM EVOLUTION IN SUN-LIKE STARS. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/799/2/L23
Matt, Sean P., Baraffe, Isabelle, Chabrier, Gilles, Brun, A. Sacha, and Bouvier, Jérôme. 2015. "THE MASS-DEPENDENCE OF ANGULAR MOMENTUM EVOLUTION IN SUN-LIKE STARS". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/799/2/L23.
@article{osti_22364356,
title = {THE MASS-DEPENDENCE OF ANGULAR MOMENTUM EVOLUTION IN SUN-LIKE STARS},
author = {Matt, Sean P. and Baraffe, Isabelle and Chabrier, Gilles and Brun, A. Sacha and Bouvier, Jérôme},
abstractNote = {To better understand the observed distributions of the rotation rate and magnetic activity of Sun-like and low-mass stars, we derive a physically motivated scaling for the dependence of the stellar wind torque on the Rossby number. The torque also contains an empirically derived scaling with stellar mass (and radius), which provides new insight into the mass-dependence of stellar magnetic and wind properties. We demonstrate that this new formulation explains why the lowest mass stars are observed to maintain rapid rotation for much longer than solar-mass stars, and simultaneously why older populations exhibit a sequence of slowly rotating stars, in which the low-mass stars rotate more slowly than solar-mass stars. The model also reproduces some previously unexplained features in the period-mass diagram for the Kepler field, notably: the particular shape of the ''upper envelope'' of the distribution, suggesting that ∼95% of Kepler field stars with measured rotation periods are younger than ∼4 Gyr; and the shape of the ''lower envelope'', corresponding to the location where stars transition between magnetically saturated and unsaturated regimes.},
doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/799/2/L23},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22364356}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal Letters},
issn = {2041-8205},
number = 2,
volume = 799,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}