English

The Magnetised Bellows of Betelgeuse

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics 2014-06-11 v2

Abstract

We present calculations for a magnetised hybrid wind model for Betelegeuse (α\alpha - Orionis). The model is a direct application of our previously derived theory, combining a canonical Weber-Davis (WD) stellar wind with dust grains in the envelope of an AGB star \citep[see][]{Thirumalai2010}. The resulting hybrid picture provides a mechanism for solving the problem of lifting stellar material up from the photosphere \citep[e.g.][] {Harper2009,Guandalini2006,Jura1984} and into the circumstellar envelope. It also predicts wind velocities in agreement with current estimates. Our approach reveals that magnetic fields in supergiant stars like Betelgeuse \citep[see][]{Auriere2010}, may play a vital role in determining the nature of the stellar outflow and consequently, opens a new avenue of investigation in the field of hybrid stellar winds.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1109.5148,
  title  = {The Magnetised Bellows of Betelgeuse},
  author = {Anand Thirumalai and Jeremy S. Heyl},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1109.5148},
  year   = {2014}
}

Comments

13 pages, 4 figures