Discovery of a magnetic field in the rapidly-rotating O-type secondary of the colliding-wind binary HD 47129 (Plaskett's star)

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a strong magnetic field in the rapidly rotating secondary star of the massive binary system HD 47129, revealing a unique case of a magnetized, rapidly rotating star in a close binary.

Contribution

First detection of a magnetic field in the secondary of HD 47129, demonstrating a magnetosphere associated with rapid rotation and magnetic confinement in a massive binary.

Findings

Magnetic field detected in the secondary component with a minimum surface dipole strength of 2850 G.

The primary component's magnetic field is constrained to be below 230 G.

The system likely hosts a centrifugal magnetosphere due to the magnetic field and rapid rotation.

Abstract

We report the detection of a strong, organized magnetic field in the secondary component of the massive O8III/I+O7.5V/III double-lined spectroscopic binary system HD 47129 (Plaskett's star), in the context of the Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) survey. Eight independent Stokes $V$ observations were acquired using the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and the Narval spectropolarimeter at the T\'elescope Bernard Lyot. Using Least-Squares Deconvolution we obtain definite detections of signal in Stokes $V$ in 3 observations. No significant signal is detected in the diagnostic null ($N$) spectra. The Zeeman signatures are broad and track the radial velocity of the secondary component; we therefore conclude that the rapidly-rotating secondary component is the magnetized star. Correcting the polarized spectra for the line and continuum of the (sharp-lined) primary, we measured the longitudinal magnetic field from each observation. The longitudinal field of the secondary is variable and exhibits extreme values of $-810\pm 150$ G and $+680\pm 190$ G, implying a minimum surface dipole polar strength of $2850\pm 500$ G. In contrast, we derive an upper limit ($3\sigma$) to the primary's surface magnetic field of 230 G. The combination of a strong magnetic field and rapid rotation leads us to conclude that the secondary hosts a centrifugal magnetosphere fed through a magnetically confined wind. We revisit the properties of the optical line profiles and X-ray emission - previously interpreted as a consequence of colliding stellar winds - in this context. We conclude that HD 47129 represents a heretofore unique stellar system - a close, massive binary with a rapidly rotating, magnetized component - that will be a rich target for further study.