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Amongst O-type stars with detected magnetic fields, the fast rotator in the close binary called Plaskett's star shows a variety of unusual properties. Since strong binary interactions are believed to have occurred in this system, one may wonder about their potential role in generating magnetic fields. Stokes V spectra collected with the low-resolution FORS2 and high-resolution ESPaDOnS and Narval spectropolarimeters were therefore used to search for magnetic fields in 15 interacting or post-interaction massive binaries. No magnetic field was detected in any of them, with 0 G always being within 2σ of the derived values. For 17 out of 25 stars in the systems observed at high resolution, the 90 per cent upper limit on the individual dipolar fields is below the dipolar field strength of Plaskett's secondary; a similar result is found for five out of six systems observed at low resolution. If our sample is considered to form a group of stars sharing similar magnetic properties, a global statistical analysis results in a stringent upper limit of ~200 G on the dipolar field strength. Moreover, the magnetic incidence rate in the full sample of interacting or post-interaction systems (our targets + Plaskett's star) is compatible with that measured from large surveys, showing that they are not significantly different from the general O-star population. These results suggest that binary interactions play no systematic role in the magnetism of such massive systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a survey of seven magnetic O-type stars and eleven B-type stars with masses above 8M⊙ using the Very Large Array in the 1, 3 and 13 cm bands. The survey resulted in a detection of two O- and two B-type stars. While the detected O-type stars - HD 37742 and HD 47129 - are in binary systems, the detected B-type stars, HD 156424 and ALS 9522, are not known to be in binaries. All four stars were detected at 3 cm, whereas three were detected at 1 cm and only one star was detected at 13 cm. The detected B-type stars are significantly more radio luminous than the non-detected ones, which is not the case for O-type stars. The non-detections at 13 cm are interpreted as due to thermal free-free absorption. Mass-loss rates were estimated using 3 cm flux densities and were compared with theoretical mass-loss rates, which assume free-free emission. For HD 37742, the two values of the massloss rates were in good agreement, possibly suggesting that the radio emission for this star is mainly thermal. For the other three stars, the estimated mass-loss rates from radio observations were much higher than those expected from theory, suggesting either a possible contribution from non-thermal emission from the magnetic star or thermal or non-thermal emission due to interacting winds of the binary system, especially for HD 47129. All the detected stars are predicted to host centrifugal magnetospheres except HD 37742, which is likely to host a dynamical magnetosphere. This suggests that non-thermal radio emission is favoured in stars with centrifugal magnetospheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some magnetic early B-type stars display Hα emission originating in their Centrifugal Magnetospheres (CMs). To determine the rotational and magnetic properties necessary for the onset of emission, we analyzed a large spectropolarimetric dataset for a sample of 51 B5-B0 magnetic stars. New rotational periods were found for 15 stars. We determined physical parameters, dipolar magnetic field strengths, magnetospheric parameters, and magnetic braking timescales. Hα-bright stars are more rapidly rotating, more strongly magnetized, and younger than the overall population. We use the high sensitivity of magnetic braking to the mass-loss rate to test the predictions of Vink et al. (2001) and Krtička (2014) by comparing ages t to maximum spindown ages tS, max. For stars with M* 10 < M⊙ this comparison favours the Krtička recipe. For the most massive stars, both prescriptions yield t ≪ t S, max, a discrepancy which is difficult to explain via incorrect mass-loss rates alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations of stable mainly dipolar magnetic fields at the surface of ~7% of single hot stars indicate that these fields are of fossil origin, i.e. they descend from the seed field in the molecular clouds from which the stars were formed. The recent results confirm this theory. First, theoretical work and numerical simulations confirm that the properties of the observed fields correspond to those expected from fossil fields. They also showed that rapid rotation does not modify the surface dipolar magnetic configurations, but hinders the stability of fossil fields. This explains the lack of correlation between the magnetic field properties and stellar properties in massive stars. It may also explain the lack of detections of magnetic fields in Be stars, which rotate close to their break-up velocity. In addition, observations by the BinaMIcS collaboration of hot stars in binary systems show that the fraction of those hosting detectable magnetic fields is much smaller than for single hot stars. This could be related to results obtained in simulations of massive star formation, which show that the stronger the magnetic field in the original molecular cloud, the more difficult it is to fragment massive cores to form several stars. Therefore, more and more arguments support the fossil field theory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Over the past decade, significant investigations have been made through the use of high-resolution spectropolarimetry to probe the surface magnetic field characteristics of young higher-mass (M ≳ 1.5 M⊙) stars from pre-main sequence to zero-age main sequence evolutionary phases. The results of these observational campaigns suggest that these young higher-mass stars host similar magnetic properties to their main sequence descendants - strong, stable, globally-ordered fields that are detected in approximately 10 percent of all stars. This strongly contrasts with lower-mass stars, where it is generally accepted that a solar-like dynamo is in operation that generates more complex, globally-weak fields that are ubiquitous. The consensus is magnetic fields in higher-mass stars are fossil remnants of a magnetic field present in the molecular cloud, or generated very early during stellar formation. This review discusses the spectropolarimetric observations of higher-mass stars and how these observations have guided our current understanding of the magnetic characteristics of young higher-mass stars. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We present our analysis of 6 years of ESPaDOnS spectropolarimetry of the magnetic β Cep star ξ1 CMa (B1 III). This high-precision magnetometry is consistent with a rotational period Prot > 40 yr. Absorption line profiles can be reproduced with a non-rotating model. We constrain R⋆, L⋆, and the stellar age via a Baade-Wesselink analysis. Spindown due to angular momentum loss via the magnetosphere predicts an extremely long rotational period if the magnetic dipole Bd > 6 kG, a strength also inferred by the best-fit sinusoids to the longitudinal magnetic field measurements BZ when phased with a 60-year Prot. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Magnetic B-type stars are often host to Centrifugal Magnetospheres (CMs). Here we describe the results of a population study encompassing the full sample of known magnetic early B-type stars, focusing on those with detectable CMs. We present revised rotational and magnetic parameters for some stars, clarifying their positions on the rotation-confinement diagram, and find that plasma densities within their CMs is much lower than those predicted by centrifugal breakout. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Massive stars are those stars with initial masses above about 8 times that of the sun, eventually leading to catastrophic explosions in the form of supernovae. These represent the most massive and luminous stellar component of the Universe, and are the crucibles in which the lion's share of the chemical elements are forged. These rapidly-evolving stars drive the chemistry, structure and evolution of galaxies, dominating the ecology of the Universe - not only as supernovae, but also during their entire lifetimes - with far-reaching consequences. Although the existence of magnetic fields in massive stars is no longer in question, our knowledge of the basic statistical properties of massive star magnetic fields is seriously incomplete. The Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) Project represents a comprehensive, multidisciplinary strategy by an international team of recognized researchers to address the “big questions” related to the complex and puzzling magnetism of massive stars. This paper present the first results of the MiMeS Large Program at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]