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arXiv · 2001.06239

The effects of surface fossil magnetic fields on massive star evolution: II. Implementation of magnetic braking in MESA and implications for the evolution of surface rotation in OB stars

Z. Keszthelyi·G. Meynet·M. E. Shultz·A. David-Uraz·A. ud-Doula·R. H. D. Townsend·G. A. Wade·C. Georgy·V. Petit·S. P. Owocki
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Abstract

The time evolution of angular momentum and surface rotation of massive stars is strongly influenced by fossil magnetic fields via magnetic braking. We present a new module containing a simple, comprehensive implementation of such a field at the surface of a massive star within the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) software instrument. We test two limiting scenarios for magnetic braking: distributing the angular momentum loss throughout the star in the first case, and restricting the angular momentum loss to a surface reservoir in the second case. We perform a systematic investigation of the rotational evolution using a grid of OB star models with surface magnetic fields ($M_\star=5-60$ M$_\odot$, $Ω/Ω_{\rm crit} =0.2-1.0$, $B_{\rm p} =1-20$ kG). We then employ a representative grid of B-type star models ($M_\star=5, 10, 15$ M$_\odot$, $Ω/Ω_{\rm crit} =0.2 , 0.5, 0.8$, $B_{\rm p} = 1, 3 ,10, 30$ kG) to compare to the results of a recent self-consistent analysis of the sample of known magnetic B-type stars. We infer that magnetic massive stars arrive at the zero age main sequence with a range of rotation rates, rather than with one common value. In particular, some stars are required to have close-to-critical rotation at the ZAMS. However, magnetic braking yields surface rotation rates converging to a common low value, making it difficult to infer the initial rotation rates of evolved, slowly-rotating stars.

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Z. Keszthelyi, G. Meynet, M. E. Shultz, A. David-Uraz, A. ud-Doula, R. H. D. Townsend, G. A. Wade, C. Georgy, V. Petit, S. P. Owocki. 2020-01-21. The effects of surface fossil magnetic fields on massive star evolution: II. Implementation of magnetic braking in MESA and implications for the evolution of surface rotation in OB stars. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstaa237

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