An Analysis of the Rapidly Rotating Bp Star HD 133880

TL;DR

This study characterizes the magnetic field, atmospheric abundances, and magnetospheric properties of the rapidly rotating Bp star HD 133880, revealing a predominantly quadrupolar magnetic structure and element overabundances, with implications for stellar magnetosphere dynamics.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed magnetic field model and abundance analysis of HD 133880, combining new spectroscopic data with radio observations to explore its magnetic and magnetospheric characteristics.

Findings

Magnetic field modeled as a quadrupolar component.

All studied elements are overabundant except Mg.

Radio data suggest a magnetosphere in rigid rotation.

Abstract

HD 133880 is a rapidly rotating Bp star and host to one of the strongest magnetic fields of any Bp star. A member of the Upper Centaurus Lupus association, it is a star with a well-determined age of 16 Myr. Twelve new spectra obtained from the FEROS, ESPaDOnS, and HARPS instruments, provide sufficient material from which to re-evaluate the magnetic field and obtain a first approximation to the atmospheric abundance distributions of various elements. Using the new magnetic field measurements and optical photometry together with previously published data, we refine the period of HD 133880 to P = 0.877476 \pm 0.000009 days. The magnetic field structure was characterised by a colinear multipole expansion from the observed variations of the longitudinal and surface fields with rotational phase. This simple axisymmetric magnetic field model is based on a predominantly quadrupolar component that roughly describes the field variations. Using spectrum synthesis, we derived mean abundances for O, Mg, Si, Ti, Cr, Fe, Nd and Pr. All elements, except Mg (which has a uniform distribution), are overabundant compared to the Sun and are more abundant in the negative than in the positive magnetic hemisphere. In contrast to most Bp stars the abundance of O in HD 133880 is overabundant compared to the solar abundance ratio. In studying the Halpha and Paschen lines in the optical spectra we could not unambiguously detect information about the magnetosphere of HD 133880. However, radio emission data at both 3 and 6 cm suggests that the magnetospheric plasma is held in rigid rotation with the star by the magnetic field and further supported against collapse by the rapid rotation. Subtle differences in the shapes of the optically thick radio light curves at 3 and 6 cm suggest that the large-scale magnetic field is not fully axisymmetric at large distances from the star.