Numerical Simulations of Magnetized Winds of Solar-Like Stars

TL;DR

This study uses 3D MHD simulations to explore how magnetic field strength and plasma-beta influence the steady-state winds of solar-like stars, revealing plasma-beta as a key parameter in wind configuration.

Contribution

It demonstrates that plasma-beta determines wind structure and terminal velocity, regardless of thermal and magnetic energy densities, advancing understanding of stellar wind dynamics.

Findings

Plasma-beta is the crucial parameter for wind configuration.

Winds with the same plasma-beta have similar terminal velocities.

Magnetic field intensity and density affect wind properties through plasma-beta.

Abstract

We investigate magnetized solar-like stellar winds by means of self-consistent three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) numerical simulations. We analyze winds with different magnetic field intensities and densities as to explore the dependence on the plasma-beta parameter. By solving the fully ideal 3D MHD equations, we show that the plasma-beta parameter is the crucial parameter in the configuration of the steady-state wind. Therefore, there is a group of magnetized flows that would present the same terminal velocity despite of its thermal and magnetic energy densities, as long as the plasma-beta parameter is the same.