A magnetic massive star has experienced a stellar merger-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

A magnetic massive star has experienced a stellar merger

Published:2024-04-12 Issue:6692 Volume:384 Page:214-217
ISSN:0036-8075
Container-title:Science
language:en
Short-container-title:Science

Author:

Frost A. J.¹²^ORCID,Sana H.¹^ORCID,Mahy L.¹³^ORCID,Wade G.⁴,Barron J.⁴⁵^ORCID,Le Bouquin J.-B.⁶^ORCID,Mérand A.⁷^ORCID,Schneider F. R. N.⁸⁹^ORCID,Shenar T.¹¹⁰^ORCID,Barbá R. H.¹¹,Bowman D. M.¹¹²^ORCID,Fabry M.¹^ORCID,Farhang A.¹³^ORCID,Marchant P.¹^ORCID,Morrell N. I.¹⁴^ORCID,Smoker J. V.²¹⁵^ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.

2. European Southern Observatory, Santiago, Chile.

3. Royal Observatory of Belgium, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium.

4. Department of Physics and Space Science, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON K7K 0C6, Canada.

5. Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.

6. Université Grenoble Alpes, Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble, F-38000 Grenoble, France.

7. European Southern Observatory, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany.

8. Heidelberger Institut für Theoretische Studien, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany.

9. Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.

10. School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.

11. Departamento de Física y Astronomía, Universidad de la Serena, La Serena, Chile.

12. School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.

13. School of Astronomy, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, 19395–5531 Tehran, Iran.

14. Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Observatories, La Serena, Chile.

15. UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK.

Abstract

Massive stars (those ≥8 solar masses at formation) have radiative envelopes that cannot sustain a dynamo, the mechanism that produces magnetic fields in lower-mass stars. Despite this, approximately 7% of massive stars have observed magnetic fields, the origin of which is debated. We used multi-epoch interferometric and spectroscopic observations to characterize HD 148937, a binary system of two massive stars. We found that only one star is magnetic and that it appears younger than its companion. The system properties and a surrounding bipolar nebula can be reproduced with a model in which two stars merged (in a previous triple system) to produce the magnetic massive star. Our results provide observational evidence that magnetic fields form in at least some massive stars through stellar mergers.

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Link

https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.adg7700

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