Confirming HD 23478 as a new magnetic B star hosting an H$\alpha$-bright centrifugal magnetosphere

TL;DR

This study confirms HD 23478 as a magnetic B star with a centrifugal magnetosphere, providing detailed magnetic, physical, and rotational properties through spectropolarimetric observations and analysis.

Contribution

First detailed magnetic and physical characterization of HD 23478 confirming it as a centrifugal magnetosphere host.

Findings

Detected weak Zeeman signatures indicating a ~-2 kG magnetic field.

Derived stellar parameters including mass, temperature, radius, and age.

Confirmed Hα emission consistent with centrifugal magnetosphere presence.

Abstract

In this paper we report 23 magnetic field measurements of the B3IV star HD 23478: 12 obtained from high resolution Stokes $V$ spectra using the ESPaDOnS (CFHT) and Narval (TBL) spectropolarimeters, and 11 from medium resolution Stokes $V$ spectra obtained with the DimaPol spectropolarimeter (DAO). HD 23478 was one of two rapidly rotating stars identified as potential "centrifugal magnetosphere" hosts based on IR observations from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment survey. We derive basic physical properties of this star including its mass ($M=6.1^{+0.8}_{-0.7}\,M_\odot$), effective temperature ($T_{\rm eff}=20\pm2\,$kK), radius ($R=2.7^{+1.6}_{-0.9}\,R_\odot$), and age ($\tau_{\rm age}=3^{+37}_{-1}\,$Myr). We repeatedly detect weakly-variable Zeeman signatures in metal, He and H lines in all our observations corresponding to a longitudinal magnetic field of $\langle B_z\rangle\approx-2.0\,$kG. The rotational period is inferred from Hipparcos photometry ($P_{\rm rot}=1.0498(4)\,$d). Under the assumption of the Oblique Rotator Model, our obsevations yield a surface dipole magnetic field of strength $B_d\geq9.5\,$kG that is approximately aligned with the stellar rotation axis. We confirm the presence of strong and broad H$\alpha$ emission and gauge the volume of this star's centrifugal magnetosphere to be consistent with those of other H$\alpha$ emitting centrifugal magnetosphere stars based on the large inferred Alfv\'en to Kepler radius ratio.