Modelling the Corona of HD 189733 in 3D

TL;DR

This paper presents 3D dynamical simulations of HD 189733's corona to understand how complex magnetic topologies influence stellar wind torque and its scaling laws, aiding insights into stellar rotation evolution.

Contribution

It introduces the first 3D simulations of HD 189733's corona with observed magnetic topology to analyze stellar wind torque scaling laws.

Findings

Complex magnetic topologies significantly affect wind torque.

Simulation results compare favorably with existing scaling laws.

Insights into stellar rotation evolution from magnetic field effects.

Abstract

The braking of main sequence stars originates mainly from their stellar wind. The efficiency of this angular momentum extraction depends on the rotation rate of the star, the acceleration profile of the wind and the coronal magnetic field. The derivation of scaling laws parametrizing the stellar wind torque is important for our understanding of gyro-chronology and the evolution of the rotation rates of stars. In order to understand the impact of complex magnetic topologies on the stellar wind torque, we present three- dimensional, dynamical simulations of the corona of HD 189733. Using the observed complex topology of the magnetic field, we estimate how the torque associated with the wind scales with model parameters and compare those trends to previously published scaling laws.