Related papers: Hidden bipolarity in red supergiant winds
We present the results of a recent survey of cool, late-type supergiants - the descendants of massive O- and B-type stars - that has systematically detected magnetic fields in these stars using spectropolarimetric observations obtained with…
Microlensing surveys have proven to be tremendously fruitful in providing valuable data products for many fields of astrophysics, from eclipse lightcurves for substellar candidates to limb darkening in stellar atmospheres. We report on a…
We present the first circular polarization measurements of circumstellar water masers around a sample of late-type stars. These observations are used to obtain the magnetic field strength in the water maser region with both an LTE and…
A red giant star is an evolved low- or intermediate-mass star that has exhausted its central hydrogen content, leaving a helium core and a hydrogen-burning shell. Oscillations of stars can be observed as periodic dimmings and brightenings…
Through polarization observations masers are unique probes of the magnetic field in a variety of different astronomical objects, with the different maser species tracing different physical conditions. In recent years maser polarization…
The origin of chemically peculiar stars remains enigmatic, especially regarding their frequency among their "normal" peers. In addition to magnetic fields and rotation, multiplicity may shed light on the question. We mention the main…
Recent asteroseismic analyses have revealed the presence of strong (B $\gtrsim 10^5$ G) magnetic fields in the cores of many red giant stars. Here, we examine the implications of these results for the evolution of stellar magnetic fields,…
The linear polarization that is observed, together with likely changes in the orientation of the magnetic field along the line of sight and hence of the optical axes of the medium, can lead to the circular polarization that is observed in…
Observational arguments supporting the binary explanation of the long secondary periods (LSP) phenomenon in red giants are presented. Photometry of about 1200 semiregular variables with the LSP in the Large Magellanic Cloud are analyzed…
It is now well-known that the surface magnetic fields observed in cool, lower-mass stars on the main sequence (MS) are generated by dynamos operating in their convective envelopes. However, higher-mass stars (above 1.5 Msun) pass their MS…
Most of the planetary nebulae (PN) have bipolar or other non-spherically symmetric shapes. The presence of a magnetic field in the central star may be the reason for this lack of symmetry, but observational works published in the literature…
A number of O stars are suspected to have (weak) magnetic fields because of the observed cyclical variability in their UV wind-lines. However, direct detections of these magnetic fields with optical spectropolarimetry have proven to be very…
A common explanation for the observed X-ray emission of A-type stars is the presence of a hidden late-type companion. While this hypothesis can be shown to be correct in some cases, there is also evidence suggesting that low-mass companions…
We investigate the connections between the magnetic fields and the X-ray emission from massive stars. Our study shows that the X-ray properties of known strongly magnetic stars are diverse: while some comply to the predictions of the…
The origin of magnetism around AGB stars is uncertain. If these stars drive a dynamo, it cannot be sufficient to generate a strong global field, otherwise the observed X-ray luminosities would be higher. Other explanations for the circular…
The existence of starspots on late-type giant stars in close binary systems, that exhibit rapid rotation due to tidal locking, has been known for more than five decades. Photometric monitoring spanning decades has allowed studying the…
Some red giant envelopes present spiral structures (seen either in dust scattered stellar continuum or in molecular line emission), the most striking example probably being AFGL 3068. This object has been modeled (both analytically and…
Most types of massive stars display X-ray emission that is affected by the properties of their stellar winds. Single non-magnetic OB stars have an X-ray luminosity that scales with their bolometric luminosity and their emission is thought…
A small fraction of the population of intermediate-mass and massive stars host strong and stable magnetic fields organised on large scales. These fields are believed to be remnants of star formation. It is however not clear how such fossil…
Although indirect evidence for the presence of magnetic fields in high-mass stars is regularly reported in the literature, the detection of these fields remains an extremely challenging observational problem. We review the recent…