The global magnetic topology of AB Doradus

Abstract

We have used Zeeman-Doppler maps of the surface field of the young, rapid rotator AB Dor (P = 0.514 days) to extrapolate the coronal field, assuming it to be potential. We find that the topology of the large-scale field is very similar in all three years for which we have images. The corona divides cleanly into regions of open and closed field. The open field originates in two mid-latitude regions of opposite polarity separated by about 180 degrees of longitude. The closed field region forms a torus extending almost over each pole, with an axis that runs through these two longitudes. We have investigated the effect on the global topology of different forms of flux in the unobservable hemisphere and in the dark polar spot where the Zeeman signal is suppressed. The flux distribution in the unobservable hemisphere affects only the low latitude topology, whereas the imposition of a unidirectional polar field forces the polar cap to be open. This contradicts observations that suggest that the closed field corona extends to high latitudes and leads us to propose that the polar cap may be composed of multipolar regions.