Related papers: Do Magnetic Fields Actually Inflate Low-Mass Stars…
Magnetic fields are hypothesized to inflate the radii of low-mass stars---defined as less massive than 0.8$M_\odot$---in detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs). We investigate this hypothesis using the recently introduced magnetic Dartmouth…
We present results obtained using the magnetic Dartmouth stellar evolution code that address the possibility that magnetic fields are inflating low-mass stars in detached eclipsing binaries. While it seems plausible that magnetic fields are…
We examine the hypothesis that magnetic fields are inflating the radii of fully convective main sequence stars in detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs). The magnetic Dartmouth stellar evolution code is used to analyze two systems in…
Low-mass eclipsing binaries show systematically larger radii than model predictions for their mass, metallicity and age. Prominent explanations for the inflation involve enhanced magnetic fields generated by rapid rotation of the star that…
Access to precise empirical estimates of stellar radii in recent decades has revealed that the radii of certain low-mass stars are inflated relative to stellar structure predictions. The largest inflations are found in magnetically active…
We have previously reported on models of low-mass stars in which the presence of inflated radii is ascribed to magnetic fields which impede the onset of convection (e.g. MacDonald & Mullan [2017a] and citations therein). Some of our…
Observations have suggested that some low-mass stars have larger radii than predicted by 1-D structure models. Some theoretical models have invoked very strong interior magnetic fields (of order 1 MG or more) as a possible cause of such…
Precise empirical estimates of stellar radii have revealed that the radii of certain low-mass stars are inflated relative to stellar structure predictions: the largest inflations occur in magnetically active stars. Theoretically, the radii…
The observed radii of M dwarfs in eclipsing binaries exceed predicted radii by ~ 5%. To investigate this anomaly, the structure of low-mass stars irradiated by a close companion is considered. Irradiation modifies the surface boundary…
Weak magnetic fields have recently been detected in a number of A-type stars, including Vega and Sirius. At the same time, space photometry observations of A- and late B-type stars from Kepler and TESS have highlighted the existence of…
Magnetic fields play a role in almost all stages of stellar evolution. Most low-mass stars, including the Sun, show surface fields that are generated by dynamo processes in their convective envelopes. Intermediate-mass stars do not have…
M dwarfs are the most numerous stars in our Galaxy with masses between approximately 0.5 and 0.1 solar mass. Many of them show surface activity qualitatively similar to our Sun and generate flares, high X-ray fluxes, and large-scale…
Despite the lack of a shear-rich tachocline region low-mass fully convective stars are capable of generating strong magnetic fields, indicating that a dynamo mechanism fundamentally different from the solar dynamo is at work in these…
Magnetic fields have been detected on stars across the H-R diagram and substellar objects either directly by their effect on the formation of spectral lines, or through the activity phenomena they power which can be observed across a large…
Strong magnetic fields are observed in a substantial fraction of upper main sequence stars and white dwarfs. Many such stars are observed to exhibit photometric modulations as the magnetic poles rotate in and out of view, which could be a…
Early-type stars show a bimodal distribution of magnetic field strengths, with some showing very strong fields ($\gtrsim 1\,\mathrm{kG}$) and others very weak fields ($\lesssim 10\,\mathrm{G}$). Recently, we proposed that this reflects the…
Main sequence, fully-convective M dwarfs in eclipsing binaries are observed to be larger than stellar evolutionary models predict by as much as $10-15\%$. A proposed explanation for this discrepancy involves effects from strong magnetic…
We examine the evolution of low-mass star and brown dwarf eclipsing binaries. These objects are rapid rotators and are believed to shelter large magnetic fields. We suggest that reduced convective efficiency, due to fast rotation and large…
While the presence of magnetic fields on low-mass stars is attributed to a dynamo process essentially driven by convective motions, the existence of magnetic fields on intermediate-mass stars has very likely other reasons. Presuming that…
Some low-mass stars appear to have larger radii than predicted by standard 1D structure models; prior work has suggested that inefficient convective heat transport, due to rotation and/or magnetism, may ultimately be responsible. We examine…