HARPS spectropolarimetry of O and B-type stars

TL;DR

This paper reports new magnetic field measurements in O and B-type stars using HARPS spectropolarimetry, aiming to improve understanding of magnetic phenomena in massive stars.

Contribution

It provides novel magnetic field data for various O and B-type stars, enhancing knowledge of their magnetic properties and associated phenomena.

Findings

Detection of magnetic fields in multiple massive stars

Correlation between magnetic fields and spectral variability

Insights into magnetic influence on stellar wind phenomena

Abstract

Our knowledge of the presence and the strength of magnetic fields in massive O and B-type stars remains very poor. Recent observations indicate that the presence of magnetic fields is responsible for a wide range of phenomena observed in massive stars at different wavelengths, such as chemical peculiarity, excess of emission in UV-wind lines and periodic UV wind-line variability, unusual X-ray emission, and cyclic variability in Halpha and He II 4686. However, it is difficult to establish relationships to multiwavelength diagnostics, as the strength of the detected magnetic fields and their geometry differ from one star to the other. In this work, we present new magnetic field measurements in a number of O and B-type stars of different classification observed with HARPS in spectropolarimetric mode.