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A combined multiwavelength VLA/ALMA/Chandra study unveils the complex magnetosphere of the B-type star HR5907.

Authors :
Leto, P.
Trigilio, C.
Oskinova, L. M.
Ignace, R.
Buemi, C. S.
Umana, G.
Ingallinera, A.
Leone, F.
Phillips, N. M.
Agliozzo, C.
Todt, H.
Cerrigone, L.
Source :
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society; May2018, Vol. 476 Issue 1, p562-579, 18p
Publication Year :
2018

Abstract

We present new radio/millimeter measurements of the hot magnetic star HR5907 obtained with the VLA and ALMA interferometers. We find that HR5907 is the most radio luminous early type star in the cm-mm band among those presently known. Its multi-wavelength radio light curves are strongly variable with an amplitude that increases with radio frequency. The radio emission can be explained by the populations of the non-thermal electrons accelerated in the current sheets on the outer border of the magnetosphere of this fast-rotating magnetic star. We classify HR5907 as another member of the growing class of strongly magnetic fastrotating hot stars where the gyro-synchrotron emission mechanism efficiently operates in their magnetospheres. The new radio observations of HR5907 are combined with archival X-ray data to study the physical condition of its magnetosphere. The X-ray spectra of HR5907 show tentative evidence for the presence of non-thermal spectral component. We suggest that non-thermal X-rays originate a stellar X-ray aurora due to streams of non-thermal electrons impacting on the stellar surface. Taking advantage of the relation between the spectral indices of the X-ray power-law spectrum and the non-thermal electron energy distributions, we perform 3-D modelling of the radio emission for HR5907. The wavelength-dependent radio light curves probe magnetospheric layers at different heights above the stellar surface. A detailed comparison between simulated and observed radio light curves leads us to conclude that the stellar magnetic field of HR 5907 is likely non-dipolar, providing further indirect evidence of the complex magnetic field topology of HR5907. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00358711
Volume :
476
Issue :
1
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
128932317
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty244