Magnetic Archaeology of Early-Type Stellar Dynamos

Abstract

Early-type stars show a bimodal distribution of magnetic field strengths, with some showing very strong fields ( 1 kG) and others very weak fields ( 10 G). Recently, we proposed that this reflects the processing or lackthereof of fossil fields by subsurface convection zones. Stars with weak fossil fields process these at the surface into even weaker dynamo-generated fields, while in stars with stronger fossil fields magnetism inhibits convection, allowing the fossil field to remain as-is. We now expand on this theory and explore the time-scales involved in the evolution of near-surface magnetic fields. We find that mass loss strips near-surface regions faster than magnetic fields can diffuse through them. As a result, observations of surface magnetism directly probe the frozen-in remains of the convective dynamo. This explains the slow evolution of magnetism in stars with very weak fields: these dynamogenerated magnetic fields evolve on the time-scale of the mass loss, not that of the dynamo.