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Recent surveys of close white dwarf binaries as well as single white dwarfs have provided evidence for the late appearance of magnetic fields in white dwarfs, and a possible generation mechanism a crystallization and rotation-driven dynamo has been suggested. A key prediction of this dynamo is that magnetic white dwarfs rotate, at least on average, faster than their non-magnetic counterparts and/or that the magnetic field strength increases with rotation. Here we present rotation periods of ten white dwarfs within 40 pc measured using photometric variations. Eight of the light curves come from TESS observations and are thus not biased towards short periods, in contrast to most period estimates that have been reported previously in the literature. These TESS spin periods are indeed systematically shorter than those of non-magnetic white dwarfs. This means that the crystallization and rotation-driven dynamo could be responsible for a fraction of the magnetic fields in white dwarfs. However, the full sample of magnetic white dwarfs also contains slowly rotating strongly magnetic white dwarfs which indicates that another mechanism that leads to the late appearance of magnetic white dwarfs might be at work, either in addition to or instead of the dynamo. The fast-spinning and massive magnetic white dwarfs that appear in the literature form a small fraction of magnetic white dwarfs, and probably result from a channel related to white dwarf mergers., Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, 8 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

About half of white dwarfs (WDs) evolve to the DC state as they cool; the others become DQ or (temporarily?) DZ WDs. The recent magnetic survey of the local 20 pc volume has established a high frequency of magnetic fields among WDs older than 2-3 Gyr, demonstrating that in low- and average-mass WDs, the effects of magnetism become more common as they age, and the fields on average become stronger. However, the available statistics of WDs older than about 5 Gyr do not clearly establish how fields evolve beyond this age. We are carrying out a survey to clarify the occurrence of magnetism in DC-type WDs in order to better understand this late evolution. We use broadband filter polarimetry, arguably the most efficient way to detect magnetic fields in featureless WDs via continuum circular polarization. Here we report the discovery of a magnetic field in five DC WDs (of 23 observed), almost doubling the total sample of known magnetic WDs belonging to the DC spectral class., Comment: Accepted by A&A

The presence of a strong magnetic field is a feature common to a significant fraction of degenerate stars, yet little is understood about field origin and evolution. New observational constraints from volume-limited surveys point to a more complex situation than a single mechanism valid for all stars. We show that in high-mass white dwarfs, which are probably the results of mergers, magnetic fields are extremely common and very strong, and appear immediately in the cooling phase. These fields may have been generated by a dynamo active during the merging. Lower mass white dwarfs, which are often the product of single star evolution, are rarely detectably magnetic at birth, but fields appear very slowly, and very weakly, in about a quarter of them. What we may see is an internal field produced in an earlier evolutionary stage that gradually relaxes to the surface from the interior. The frequency and strength of magnetic fields continue to increase to eventually rival those of highly-massive stars, particularly after the stars cool past the start of core crystallisation, an effect that could be responsible for a dynamo mechanism similar to the one that is active in Earth's interior., Comment: Accepted by ApJL

Circular polarisation measurements of white dwarfs of various ages and spectral types are useful to understand the origin and evolution of the magnetic field in degenerate stars. In the latest stages of white dwarf evolution, when stars are so cool that spectral lines are no longer formed in the normal H- or He-dominated atmospheres, magnetic fields can be probed only by means of circular polarimetry of the continuum. The study of the fields of featureless DC white dwarfs may reveal whether Ohmic decay acts on magnetic white dwarfs, or if magnetic fields continue to be generated even several billion years after white dwarf formation. Compared to spectropolarimetry, broad-band circular polarisation measurements have the advantage of reaching a higher accuracy in the continuum, with the potential of detecting magnetic fields as weak as a fraction of a MG in DC stars, if the telescope size is adequate for the star's magnitude. Here we present the results of a first (short) observing campaign with the DIPol-UF polarimeter, which we have used to measure broad-band circular polarisation of white dwarfs. Our observing run was in part aimed to fully characterise the instrument, and in part to study the relationship between magnetic field strength (when known from spectropolarimetry) and circular polarisation of the continuum. We also observed a small number of previously unexplored DC white dwarfs, and we present the discovery of two new magnetic white dwarfs of spectral class DC, probably the first discovery of this kind made with broad-band circular polarimetric techniques since the late 1970s. We also discuss the characteristics of our instrument, and predict the level of polarimetric accuracy that may be reached as a function of stellar magnitude, exposure time, and telescope size., Comment: Accepted by A&A

We present the discovery of a magnetic field on the white dwarf component in the detached post common envelope binary (PCEB) CC Cet. Magnetic white dwarfs in detached PCEBs are extremely rare, in contrast to the high incidence of magnetism in single white dwarfs and cataclysmic variables. We find Zeeman-split absorption lines in both ultraviolet Hubble Space Telescope (HST) spectra and archival optical spectra of CC Cet. Model fits to the lines return a mean magnetic field strength of approximately 600-700 kG. Differences in the best-fit magnetic field strength between two separate HST observations and the high v sin i of the lines indicate that the white dwarf is rotating with a period ~0.5 hours, and that the magnetic field is not axisymmetric about the spin axis. The magnetic field strength and rotation period are consistent with those observed among the intermediate polar class of cataclysmic variable, and we compute stellar evolution models that predict CC Cet will evolve into an intermediate polar in 7-17 Gyr. Among the small number of known PCEBs containing a confirmed magnetic white dwarf, CC Cet is the hottest (and thus youngest), with the weakest field strength, and cannot have formed via the recently proposed crystallisation/spin-up scenario. In addition to the magnetic field measurements, we update the atmospheric parameters of the CC Cet white dwarf via model spectra fits to the HST data and provide a refined orbital period and ephemeris from TESS photometry., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Circular polarisation measurements of white dwarfs of various ages and spectral types are useful to understand the origin and evolution of the magnetic field in degenerate stars. In the latest stages of white dwarf evolution, when stars are so cool that spectral lines are no longer formed in the normal H- or He-dominated atmospheres, magnetic fields can be probed only by means of circular polarimetry of the continuum. The study of the fields of featureless DC white dwarfs may reveal whether Ohmic decay acts on magnetic white dwarfs, or if magnetic fields continue to be generated even several billion years after white dwarf formation. Compared to spectropolarimetry, broad-band circular polarisation measurements have the advantage of reaching a higher accuracy in the continuum, with the potential of detecting magnetic fields as weak as a fraction of a MG in DC stars, if the telescope size is adequate for the star's magnitude. Here we present the results of a first (short) observing campaign with the DIPol-UF polarimeter, which we have used to measure broad-band circular polarisation of white dwarfs. Our observing run was in part aimed to fully characterise the instrument, and in part to study the relationship between magnetic field strength (when known from spectropolarimetry) and circular polarisation of the continuum. We also observed a small number of previously unexplored DC white dwarfs, and we present the discovery of two new magnetic white dwarfs of spectral class DC, probably the first discovery of this kind made with broad-band circular polarimetric techniques since the late 1970s. We also discuss the characteristics of our instrument, and predict the level of polarimetric accuracy that may be reached as a function of stellar magnitude, exposure time, and telescope size., Comment: Accepted by A&A

We present the discovery of a magnetic field on the white dwarf component in the detached post common envelope binary (PCEB) CC Cet. Magnetic white dwarfs in detached PCEBs are extremely rare, in contrast to the high incidence of magnetism in single white dwarfs and cataclysmic variables. We find Zeeman-split absorption lines in both ultraviolet Hubble Space Telescope (HST) spectra and archival optical spectra of CC Cet. Model fits to the lines return a mean magnetic field strength of approximately 600-700 kG. Differences in the best-fit magnetic field strength between two separate HST observations and the high v sin i of the lines indicate that the white dwarf is rotating with a period ~0.5 hours, and that the magnetic field is not axisymmetric about the spin axis. The magnetic field strength and rotation period are consistent with those observed among the intermediate polar class of cataclysmic variable, and we compute stellar evolution models that predict CC Cet will evolve into an intermediate polar in 7-17 Gyr. Among the small number of known PCEBs containing a confirmed magnetic white dwarf, CC Cet is the hottest (and thus youngest), with the weakest field strength, and cannot have formed via the recently proposed crystallisation/spin-up scenario. In addition to the magnetic field measurements, we update the atmospheric parameters of the CC Cet white dwarf via model spectra fits to the HST data and provide a refined orbital period and ephemeris from TESS photometry., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS

How magnetic fields contribute to the differentiation of the rotation rates of the Ap stars and affect the occurrence of non-radial pulsation in some of them are important open questions. Valuable insight can be gained into these questions by studying some of the most extreme examples of the processes at play. The super-slowly rotating rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) star HD 166473 is such an example. We performed the first accurate determination of its rotation period, (3836 +/- 30)d, from the analysis of 56 measurements of the mean magnetic field modulus based on high-resolution spectra acquired between 1992 and 2019 at various observatories and with various instrumental configurations. We complemented this analysis with the consideration of an inhomogeneous set of 21 determinations of the mean longitudinal magnetic field spanning the same time interval. This makes HD 166473 one of only four Ap stars with a period longer than 10 years for which magnetic field measurements have been obtained over more than a full cycle. The variation curves of and of are well approximated by cosine waves. The magnetic field of HD 166473 only seems to deviate slightly from axisymmetry, but it definitely involves a considerable non-dipolar component. Among the stars with rotation periods longer than 1000 d for which magnetic field measurements with full phase coverage are available, HD 166473 has the strongest field. Its magnetic field is also one of the strongest known among roAp stars. Overall, the magnetic properties of HD 166473 do not seem fundamentally distinct from those of the faster-rotating Ap stars. However, considering as a group the eight Ap stars that have accuractely determined periods longer than 1000 d and whose magnetic variations have been characterised over a full cycle suggests that the angles between their magnetic and rotation axes tend to be systematically large., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A. In the journal, at the request of the editor, the abstract will appear in traditional form, as shown in this header. This arXiv preprint features a structured version of the abstract, so that the LaTeX source could be successfully processed by arXiv

I was one of the six people most closely involved in the discovery of the first magnetic white dwarf in 1970, now 50 years ago. Thinking back on this event, I have realised that the discovery occurred when and how it did because of a series of lucky coincidences along a strange and winding path. In this paper I recount the events as I recall them, and reflect on how those unlikely coincidences helped us to succeed.

How magnetic fields contribute to the differentiation of the rotation rates of the Ap stars and affect the occurrence of non-radial pulsation in some of them are important open questions. Valuable insight can be gained into these questions by studying some of the most extreme examples of the processes at play. The super-slowly rotating rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) star HD 166473 is such an example. We performed the first accurate determination of its rotation period, (3836 +/- 30)d, from the analysis of 56 measurements of the mean magnetic field modulus based on high-resolution spectra acquired between 1992 and 2019 at various observatories and with various instrumental configurations. We complemented this analysis with the consideration of an inhomogeneous set of 21 determinations of the mean longitudinal magnetic field spanning the same time interval. This makes HD 166473 one of only four Ap stars with a period longer than 10 years for which magnetic field measurements have been obtained over more than a full cycle. The variation curves of and of are well approximated by cosine waves. The magnetic field of HD 166473 only seems to deviate slightly from axisymmetry, but it definitely involves a considerable non-dipolar component. Among the stars with rotation periods longer than 1000 d for which magnetic field measurements with full phase coverage are available, HD 166473 has the strongest field. Its magnetic field is also one of the strongest known among roAp stars. Overall, the magnetic properties of HD 166473 do not seem fundamentally distinct from those of the faster-rotating Ap stars. However, considering as a group the eight Ap stars that have accuractely determined periods longer than 1000 d and whose magnetic variations have been characterised over a full cycle suggests that the angles between their magnetic and rotation axes tend to be systematically large., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A. In the journal, at the request of the editor, the abstract will appear in traditional form, as shown in this header. This arXiv preprint features a structured version of the abstract, so that the LaTeX source could be successfully processed by arXiv

We report the discovery of a new magnetic DA white dwarf (WD), WD0011-721, which is located within the very important 20pc volume-limited sample of the closest WDs to the Sun. This star has a mean field modulus <|B|> of 343 kG, and from the polarisation signal we deduce a line-of-sight field component of 75 kG. The magnetic field is sufficiently weak to have escaped detection in classification spectra. We then present a preliminary exploration of the data concerning the frequency of such fields among WDs with hydrogen-rich atmospheres (DA stars). We find that 20 +- 5% of the DA WDs in this volume have magnetic fields, mostly weaker than 1 MG. Unlike the slow field decay found among the magnetic Bp stars of the upper main sequence, the WDs in this sample show no evidence of magnetic field or flux changes over several Gyr.

Some of the white dwarfs exhibit among the strongest magnetic fields in the universe. Many of these degenerate magnetic stars are also rotating very slowly. Among these objects, Grw+70$^\circ$\,8247, with its century-long suspected rotation period and its 400\,MG magnetic field, stands as a particularly interesting object. Surprisingly, for this star, the first white dwarf in which a magnetic field was discovered, no spectropolarimetric observations have been discussed in the literature in the last 40 years. Here we present two sets of linear and circular polarisation spectra taken in 2015 and 2018, and we compare them with spectropolarimetric data obtained in the 1970s. Polarisation shows variability over a time interval of four decades, but some subtle changes may have been detected even over a three year time interval. Using the variation of the polarisation position angle as a proxy for the rotation of the magnetic axis in the plane of the sky, we conclude that the star's rotation period probably lies in the range of $10^2$ to $10^3$ years. Our data analysis is accompanied by a description of our various calibrations and tests of the ISIS instrument at the William Herschel Telescope that may be of general interest for linear spectropolarimetric measurements. We also found discrepancies in the sign of circular polarisation as reported in the literature, and made explicit the definitions that we have adopted., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Many white dwarf stars show signs of having accreted smaller bodies, implying that they may host planetary systems. A small number of these systems contain gaseous debris discs, visible through emission lines. We report a stable 123.4min periodic variation in the strength and shape of the CaII emission line profiles originating from the debris disc around the white dwarf SDSSJ122859.93+104032.9. We interpret this short-period signal as the signature of a solid body held together by its internal strength., Comment: 11 Figures, 3 Tables

Magnetic fields are present in roughly 10% of white dwarfs. These fields affect the structure and evolution of such stars, and may provide clues about their earlier evolution history. Particularly important for statistical studies is the collection of high-precision spectropolarimetric observations of (1) complete magnitude-limited samples and (2) complete volume-limited samples of white dwarfs. In the course of one of our surveys we have discovered previously unknown kG-level magnetic fields on two nearby white dwarfs, WD1105-340 and WD2150+591. Both stars are brighter than m_V = 15. WD2150+591 is within the 20-pc volume around the Sun, while WD1105-340 is just beyond 25 pc in distance. These discoveries increase the small sample of such weak-field white dwarfs from 21 to 23 stars. Our data appear consistent with roughly dipolar field topology, but it also appears that the surface field structure may be more complex on the older star than on the younger one, a result similar to one found earlier in our study of the weak-field stars WD2034+372 and WD2359-434. This encourages further efforts to uncover a clear link between magnetic morphology and stellar evolution.

We report the discovery of a new magnetic DA white dwarf (WD), WD0011-721, which is located within the very important 20pc volume-limited sample of the closest WDs to the Sun. This star has a mean field modulus <|B|> of 343 kG, and from the polarisation signal we deduce a line-of-sight field component of 75 kG. The magnetic field is sufficiently weak to have escaped detection in classification spectra. We then present a preliminary exploration of the data concerning the frequency of such fields among WDs with hydrogen-rich atmospheres (DA stars). We find that 20 +- 5% of the DA WDs in this volume have magnetic fields, mostly weaker than 1 MG. Unlike the slow field decay found among the magnetic Bp stars of the upper main sequence, the WDs in this sample show no evidence of magnetic field or flux changes over several Gyr.

Some of the white dwarfs exhibit among the strongest magnetic fields in the universe. Many of these degenerate magnetic stars are also rotating very slowly. Among these objects, Grw+70$^\circ$\,8247, with its century-long suspected rotation period and its 400\,MG magnetic field, stands as a particularly interesting object. Surprisingly, for this star, the first white dwarf in which a magnetic field was discovered, no spectropolarimetric observations have been discussed in the literature in the last 40 years. Here we present two sets of linear and circular polarisation spectra taken in 2015 and 2018, and we compare them with spectropolarimetric data obtained in the 1970s. Polarisation shows variability over a time interval of four decades, but some subtle changes may have been detected even over a three year time interval. Using the variation of the polarisation position angle as a proxy for the rotation of the magnetic axis in the plane of the sky, we conclude that the star's rotation period probably lies in the range of $10^2$ to $10^3$ years. Our data analysis is accompanied by a description of our various calibrations and tests of the ISIS instrument at the William Herschel Telescope that may be of general interest for linear spectropolarimetric measurements. We also found discrepancies in the sign of circular polarisation as reported in the literature, and made explicit the definitions that we have adopted., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Many white dwarf stars show signs of having accreted smaller bodies, implying that they may host planetary systems. A small number of these systems contain gaseous debris discs, visible through emission lines. We report a stable 123.4min periodic variation in the strength and shape of the CaII emission line profiles originating from the debris disc around the white dwarf SDSSJ122859.93+104032.9. We interpret this short-period signal as the signature of a solid body held together by its internal strength., Comment: 11 Figures, 3 Tables

Magnetic fields are present in roughly 10% of white dwarfs. These fields affect the structure and evolution of such stars, and may provide clues about their earlier evolution history. Particularly important for statistical studies is the collection of high-precision spectropolarimetric observations of (1) complete magnitude-limited samples and (2) complete volume-limited samples of white dwarfs. In the course of one of our surveys we have discovered previously unknown kG-level magnetic fields on two nearby white dwarfs, WD1105-340 and WD2150+591. Both stars are brighter than m_V = 15. WD2150+591 is within the 20-pc volume around the Sun, while WD1105-340 is just beyond 25 pc in distance. These discoveries increase the small sample of such weak-field white dwarfs from 21 to 23 stars. Our data appear consistent with roughly dipolar field topology, but it also appears that the surface field structure may be more complex on the older star than on the younger one, a result similar to one found earlier in our study of the weak-field stars WD2034+372 and WD2359-434. This encourages further efforts to uncover a clear link between magnetic morphology and stellar evolution.

Our knowledge of the magnetism in white dwarfs is based on an observational dataset that is biased in favour of stars with very strong magnetic fields. Most of the field measurements available in the literature have a relatively low sensitivity, while current instruments allow us to detect magnetic fields of white dwarfs with sub-kG precision. With the aim of obtaining a more complete view of the incidence of magnetic fields in degenerate stars, we have started a long-term campaign of high-precision spectropolarimetric observations of white dwarfs. Here we report the results obtained so far with the low-resolution FORS2 instrument of the ESO VLT and the medium-resolution ISIS instrument of the WHT. We have considered a sample of 48 stars, of which five are known magnetic or suspected magnetic stars, and obtained new longitudinal magnetic field measurements with a mean uncertainty of about 0.6 kG. Overall, in the course of our survey (the results of which have been partially published in papers devoted to individual stars) we have discovered one new weak-field magnetic white dwarf, confirmed the magnetic nature of another, found that a suspected magnetic star is not magnetic, and suggested two new candidate magnetic white dwarfs. Even combined with data previously obtained in the literature, our sample is not sufficient yet to reach any final conclusions about the actual incidence of very weak magnetic fields in white dwarfs, but we have set the basis to achieve a homogeneous survey of an unbiased sample of white dwarfs. As a by-product, our survey has also enabled us to carry out a detailed characterisation of the ISIS and the FORS2 instruments for the detection of extremely weak magnetic fields in white dwarfs, and in particular to relate the S/N to measurement uncertainty for white dwarfs of different spectral types. This study will help the optimisation of future observations., Comment: Accepted by A&A

Our knowledge of the magnetism in white dwarfs is based on an observational dataset that is biased in favour of stars with very strong magnetic fields. Most of the field measurements available in the literature have a relatively low sensitivity, while current instruments allow us to detect magnetic fields of white dwarfs with sub-kG precision. With the aim of obtaining a more complete view of the incidence of magnetic fields in degenerate stars, we have started a long-term campaign of high-precision spectropolarimetric observations of white dwarfs. Here we report the results obtained so far with the low-resolution FORS2 instrument of the ESO VLT and the medium-resolution ISIS instrument of the WHT. We have considered a sample of 48 stars, of which five are known magnetic or suspected magnetic stars, and obtained new longitudinal magnetic field measurements with a mean uncertainty of about 0.6 kG. Overall, in the course of our survey (the results of which have been partially published in papers devoted to individual stars) we have discovered one new weak-field magnetic white dwarf, confirmed the magnetic nature of another, found that a suspected magnetic star is not magnetic, and suggested two new candidate magnetic white dwarfs. Even combined with data previously obtained in the literature, our sample is not sufficient yet to reach any final conclusions about the actual incidence of very weak magnetic fields in white dwarfs, but we have set the basis to achieve a homogeneous survey of an unbiased sample of white dwarfs. As a by-product, our survey has also enabled us to carry out a detailed characterisation of the ISIS and the FORS2 instruments for the detection of extremely weak magnetic fields in white dwarfs, and in particular to relate the S/N to measurement uncertainty for white dwarfs of different spectral types. This study will help the optimisation of future observations., Comment: Accepted by A&A

The low-resolution, Cassegrain mounted, FORS spectropolarimeter of the ESO Very Large Telescope is being extensively used for magnetic field surveys. Some of the new discoveries suggest that relatively strong magnetic fields may play an important role in numerous physical phenomena observed in the atmospheres as well as in the circumstellar environments of certain kinds of stars. We show in detail how small instabilities or data-reduction inaccuracies represent an alternative explanation for the origin of certain signals of circular polarisation published in recent years. With the help of analytical calculations we simulate the observation of a spectral line in spectropolarimetric mode, adding very small spurious wavelength shifts, which may mimic the effects of seeing variations, rapid variations of the stellar radial velocity, or instrument instabilities. As a case study, we then re-visit the FORS2 measurements that have been used to claim the discovery of a magnetic field in the A0 supergiant HD 92207. In addition, we present new observations of this star obtained with the HARPSpol instrument. Both calibration and science data show compelling evidence that photon-noise is not the only source of error in magnetic field measurements, especially in sharp spectral lines. Non-photon noise may be kept under control by accurate data reduction and quality controls. Our re-analysis of FORS2 observations of HD 92207 shows no evidence of a magnetic field, and we are able to reproduce the previous FORS detection only by degrading the quality of our wavelength calibration. Our HARPSpol spectropolarimetric measurements show no evidence of a magnetic field at the level of 10 G., Comment: Accepted for publication by A&A. This new version replaces the original one to accommodate a request from Markus Schoeller, who wants his name removed from the acknowledgments. We have also implemented some minor changes to Figs. 4, 5, 6, 8

It is becoming clear that determination of the abundance of Si using lines of Si II and Si III can lead to quite discordant results in mid to late B-type stars. The difference between the Si abundances derived from the two ion states can exceed one dex in some cases. We have carried out a study intended to clarify which kinds of B stars exhibit this discrepancy, to try to identify regularities in the phenomenon, and to explore possible explanations such as abundance stratification by comparing models to observed spectra. We used spectra from the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter and FEROS spectrograph, supplemented with spectra from the ESO and ELODIE archives, of magnetic Bp, HgMn, and normal B-type stars ranging in effective temperature from about 10500 to 15000 K. Using these spectra, we derived abundances using the spectrum synthesis program ZEEMAN which can take into account the influence of magnetic fields. For each star, accurate abundances of Si II, Si III, Ti, Cr, and Fe were derived. All magnetic Bp stars in our sample show a discordance between the derived abundances of the first and second ions of silicon, with the latter being between 0.6 - 1.7 dex higher. The same behaviour is observed in the non-magnetic stars but to a much smaller extent: Si III is enhanced by between 0.3 - 0.8 dex compared to Si II.We do not detect the discrepancy in three stars, HD 22136 (normal), HD 57608 (HgMn) and HD 27295 (HgMn); these are the only stars in our sample for which the microturbulence parameter is significantly different from zero, and which therefore probably have convection occurring in their atmospheres. We find that vertical stratification of silicon in the atmospheres of B-type stars may provide an explanation of this phenomenon, but our detailed stratification models do not completely explain the discrepancies, which may, in part, be due to non-LTE effects., Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

The low-resolution, Cassegrain mounted, FORS spectropolarimeter of the ESO Very Large Telescope is being extensively used for magnetic field surveys. Some of the new discoveries suggest that relatively strong magnetic fields may play an important role in numerous physical phenomena observed in the atmospheres as well as in the circumstellar environments of certain kinds of stars. We show in detail how small instabilities or data-reduction inaccuracies represent an alternative explanation for the origin of certain signals of circular polarisation published in recent years. With the help of analytical calculations we simulate the observation of a spectral line in spectropolarimetric mode, adding very small spurious wavelength shifts, which may mimic the effects of seeing variations, rapid variations of the stellar radial velocity, or instrument instabilities. As a case study, we then re-visit the FORS2 measurements that have been used to claim the discovery of a magnetic field in the A0 supergiant HD 92207. In addition, we present new observations of this star obtained with the HARPSpol instrument. Both calibration and science data show compelling evidence that photon-noise is not the only source of error in magnetic field measurements, especially in sharp spectral lines. Non-photon noise may be kept under control by accurate data reduction and quality controls. Our re-analysis of FORS2 observations of HD 92207 shows no evidence of a magnetic field, and we are able to reproduce the previous FORS detection only by degrading the quality of our wavelength calibration. Our HARPSpol spectropolarimetric measurements show no evidence of a magnetic field at the level of 10 G., Comment: Accepted for publication by A&A. This new version replaces the original one to accommodate a request from Markus Schoeller, who wants his name removed from the acknowledgments. We have also implemented some minor changes to Figs. 4, 5, 6, 8

It is becoming clear that determination of the abundance of Si using lines of Si II and Si III can lead to quite discordant results in mid to late B-type stars. The difference between the Si abundances derived from the two ion states can exceed one dex in some cases. We have carried out a study intended to clarify which kinds of B stars exhibit this discrepancy, to try to identify regularities in the phenomenon, and to explore possible explanations such as abundance stratification by comparing models to observed spectra. We used spectra from the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter and FEROS spectrograph, supplemented with spectra from the ESO and ELODIE archives, of magnetic Bp, HgMn, and normal B-type stars ranging in effective temperature from about 10500 to 15000 K. Using these spectra, we derived abundances using the spectrum synthesis program ZEEMAN which can take into account the influence of magnetic fields. For each star, accurate abundances of Si II, Si III, Ti, Cr, and Fe were derived. All magnetic Bp stars in our sample show a discordance between the derived abundances of the first and second ions of silicon, with the latter being between 0.6 - 1.7 dex higher. The same behaviour is observed in the non-magnetic stars but to a much smaller extent: Si III is enhanced by between 0.3 - 0.8 dex compared to Si II.We do not detect the discrepancy in three stars, HD 22136 (normal), HD 57608 (HgMn) and HD 27295 (HgMn); these are the only stars in our sample for which the microturbulence parameter is significantly different from zero, and which therefore probably have convection occurring in their atmospheres. We find that vertical stratification of silicon in the atmospheres of B-type stars may provide an explanation of this phenomenon, but our detailed stratification models do not completely explain the discrepancies, which may, in part, be due to non-LTE effects., Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Detection of magnetic fields has been reported in several sdO and sdB stars. Recent literature has cast doubts on the reliability of most of these detections. We revisit data previously published in the literature, and we present new observations to clarify the question of how common magnetic fields are in subdwarf stars. We consider a sample of about 40 hot subdwarf stars. About 30 of them have been observed with the FORS1 and FORS2 instruments of the ESO VLT. Here we present new FORS1 field measurements for 17 stars, 14 of which have never been observed for magnetic fields before. We also critically review the measurements already published in the literature, and in particular we try to explain why previous papers based on the same FORS1 data have reported contradictory results. All new and re-reduced measurements obtained with FORS1 are shown to be consistent with non-detection of magnetic fields. We explain previous spurious field detections from data obtained with FORS1 as due to a non-optimal method of wavelength calibration. Field detections in other surveys are found to be uncertain or doubtful, and certainly in need of confirmation. There is presently no strong evidence for the occurrence of a magnetic field in any sdB or sdO star, with typical longitudinal field uncertainties of the order of 2-400 G. It appears that globally simple fields of more than about 1 or 2 kG in strength occur in at most a few percent of hot subdwarfs, and may be completely absent at this strength. Further high-precision surveys, both with high-resolution spectropolarimeters and with instruments similar to FORS1 on large telescopes, would be very valuable.

Detection of magnetic fields has been reported in several sdO and sdB stars. Recent literature has cast doubts on the reliability of most of these detections. We revisit data previously published in the literature, and we present new observations to clarify the question of how common magnetic fields are in subdwarf stars. We consider a sample of about 40 hot subdwarf stars. About 30 of them have been observed with the FORS1 and FORS2 instruments of the ESO VLT. Here we present new FORS1 field measurements for 17 stars, 14 of which have never been observed for magnetic fields before. We also critically review the measurements already published in the literature, and in particular we try to explain why previous papers based on the same FORS1 data have reported contradictory results. All new and re-reduced measurements obtained with FORS1 are shown to be consistent with non-detection of magnetic fields. We explain previous spurious field detections from data obtained with FORS1 as due to a non-optimal method of wavelength calibration. Field detections in other surveys are found to be uncertain or doubtful, and certainly in need of confirmation. There is presently no strong evidence for the occurrence of a magnetic field in any sdB or sdO star, with typical longitudinal field uncertainties of the order of 2-400 G. It appears that globally simple fields of more than about 1 or 2 kG in strength occur in at most a few percent of hot subdwarfs, and may be completely absent at this strength. Further high-precision surveys, both with high-resolution spectropolarimeters and with instruments similar to FORS1 on large telescopes, would be very valuable.