The magneto-rotational instability in massive stars

TL;DR

This study investigates how the magneto-rotational instability (MRI) influences the evolution of massive stars, affecting angular momentum transport, chemical mixing, and potential outcomes like black hole formation.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed simulations of MRI effects in massive star evolution, comparing it with the Tayler-Spruit dynamo and exploring its dependence on stellar modeling assumptions.

Findings

MRI triggers throughout stellar evolution.

MRI significantly alters rotation and chemical profiles.

MRI presence correlates with more compact stellar cores.

Abstract

The interaction between weak magnetic fields and rotation can lead to instabilities that transport angular momentum (AM) and chemical elements affecting the evolution of massive stars. We explore the effects of the magneto-rotational instability (MRI) in massive stars to determine its impact on stellar evolution. We use the GENEC code to simulate the evolution of a 15 $M_\odot$ model at solar metallicity up to the end of oxygen burning. The MRI is computed with different trigger conditions, (depending on the weighting of chemical gradients through an arbitrary but commonly used factor), and with different treatments of meridional circulation as either advective or diffusive. We also compare the MRI with the Tayler-Spruit (TS) dynamo, in models that included both instabilities interacting linearly. The MRI triggers throughout stellar evolution. Its activation is highly sensitive to the treatment of meridional circulation and the existence of chemical gradients. The MRI is very efficient at transporting both matter and AM, leading to noticeable differences in rotation rates and chemical structure, which may be observable in young main sequence stars. While the TS dynamo is the dominant mechanism for transferring AM, the MRI remains relevant in models where both instabilities are included. Extrapolation of our results suggests that models including the MRI tend to develop more compact cores, which likely produce failed explosions and black holes, than models where only the TS dynamo is included (where explosions an neutron stars may be more frequent. The MRI is an important factor in massive star evolution but is very sensitive to the implementation ofother processes in the model. The transport of AM and chemical elements due to the MRI alters the rotation rates and the chemical make-up of the star from the core to the surface, and may change the explodability properties of massive stars.