High-latitude coronal mass ejections on the young solar-like star AB Dor

TL;DR

This study models high-latitude coronal mass ejections on AB Dor, a young star with strong magnetic fields, revealing that open magnetic regions are more conducive to eruptions than closed regions.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed parametric modeling of high-latitude CMEs on AB Dor, highlighting the role of magnetic field topology in eruption likelihood.

Findings

CMEs in open magnetic regions are more likely to erupt.

Closed regions tend to confine CMEs, requiring higher magnetic energy to erupt.

Eruptive CMEs in AB Dor likely occur in high-latitude open magnetic regions.

Abstract

AB Dor is a young solar-type star with a surface large-scale magnetic field $10^2$ to $10^3$ times stronger than the that of the Sun. Although strong magnetic fields are thought to inhibit coronal mass ejections (CMEs), dimming signatures typically associated with an eruptive CME were recently observed in AB Dor. The uninterrupted, long-duration dimming signal suggests that a CME took place at a high latitude, where it remained in view as the star rotates. A high-latitude CME is also consistent with observations that indicate that AB Dor hosts polar active regions. To investigate magnetic confinement in AB Dor, we conduct a parametric modelling study of twenty-one CMEs at latitudes $\sim 60^\circ$, varying the location, mass and magnetic field strength of an injected flux rope. Twelve models had the flux rope located in an open magnetic field region, while the remaining nine were in a closed region. Results show that CMEs in open-field regions are in general more likely to erupt. The four eruptive CMEs from closed regions had high free magnetic energies $\gtrsim 3\times 10^{35}$ erg, and ten CMEs, predominantly from the closed-field regions (8/10) were confined. CMEs in closed-field regions exhibited lower kinetic energies, since part of the CME energy was expended to overcome magnetic tension and break open the overlying field. In conclusion our work suggests that eruptive CMEs in AB Dor may occur in high-latitude regions of open magnetic field, as the magnetic tension in such regions does not significantly inhibit the eruption.