Catalogue of averaged stellar effective magnetic fields. I. Chemically peculiar A and B type stars

TL;DR

This paper compiles a catalogue of averaged magnetic fields for 596 main sequence and giant stars, analyzing the magnetic properties of chemically peculiar A and B type stars and revealing an exponential distribution of their magnetic field strengths.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive catalogue of averaged magnetic fields for a large sample of chemically peculiar stars and analyzes their magnetic field distribution patterns.

Findings

Magnetic field strengths follow a decreasing exponential distribution.

Distribution breaks down below approximately 100 Gs, the analysis resolution limit.

Chemically peculiar stars exhibit similar magnetic field distribution patterns.

Abstract

This paper presents the catalogue and the method of determination of averaged quadratic effective magnetic fields B_e for 596 main sequence and giant stars. the catalogue is based on measurements of the stellar effective (or mean longitudinal) magnetic field strengths B_e, which were compiled from the existing literature. We analysed the properties of 352 chemically peculiar A and B stars in the catalogue, including Am, ApSi, He-weak, He-rich, HgMn, ApSrCrEu, and all ApSr type stars. We have found, that the number distribution of all chemically peculiar (CP) stars vs. averaged magnetic field strength is described by a decreasing exponential function. Relations of this type hold also for stars of all the analysed subclasses of chemical peculiarity. The exponential form of the above distribution function can break down below about 100 Gs, the latter value representing approximately the resolution of our analysis for A type stars.