Spin-down of massive rotating stars

Ho Lau, Adrian Potter, Christopher Tout

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Models of rapidly rotating massive stars at low metallicities show significantly different evolution and higher metal yields compared to non-rotating stars. We estimate the spin-down time-scale of rapidly rotating non-convective stars supporting an I?-I? dynamo. The magnetic dynamo gives rise to mass-loss in a magnetically controlled stellar wind and hence stellar spin-down owing to loss of angular momentum. The dynamo is maintained by strong horizontal rotation-driven turbulence which dominates over the Parker instability. We calculate the spin-down time-scale and find that it could be relatively short, a small fraction of the main-sequence lifetime. The spin-down time-scale decreases dramatically for higher surface rotations suggesting that rapid rotators may only exhibit such high surface velocities for a short time, only a small fraction of their main-sequence lifetime
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)959 - 963
Number of pages5
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume415
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

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