Of?p stars: a class of slowly rotating magnetic massive stars

TL;DR

This paper discusses the class of Of?p stars, a rare group of massive stars with organized magnetic fields, and highlights recent discoveries of magnetism in these stars, suggesting they are a common class of magnetic O-type stars.

Contribution

It provides evidence that Of?p stars are a widespread class of magnetic massive stars with organized, fossil magnetic fields affecting their stellar winds.

Findings

Magnetic fields detected in all studied Of?p stars

Of?p stars exhibit organized, likely fossil, magnetic fields

Magnetic fields influence stellar wind confinement and magnetosphere structure

Abstract

Only 5 Of?p stars have been identified in the Galaxy. Of these, 3 have been studied in detail, and within the past 5 years magnetic fields have been detected in each of them. The observed magnetic and spectral characteristics are indicative of organised magnetic fields, likely of fossil origin, confining their supersonic stellar winds into dense, structured magnetospheres. The systematic detection of magnetic fields in these stars strongly suggests that the Of?p stars represent a general class of magnetic O-type stars.