Sean P. Matt

Bio: Sean P. Matt is an academic researcher from University of Exeter. The author has contributed to research in topics: Stars & Angular momentum. The author has an hindex of 39, co-authored 141 publications receiving 4707 citations. Previous affiliations of Sean P. Matt include McMaster University & University of Virginia.

Accretion-powered Stellar Winds as a Solution to the Stellar Angular Momentum Problem

Abstract: We compare the angular momentum extracted by a wind from a pre-main-sequence star to the torques arising from the interaction between the star and its Keplerian accretion disk. We find that the wind alone can counteract the spin-up torque from mass accretion, solving the mystery of why accreting pre-main-sequence stars are observed to spin at less than 10% of breakup speed, provided that the mass outflow rate in the stellar winds is ~10% of the accretion rate. We suggest that such massive winds will be driven by some fraction of the accretion power. For observationally constrained typical parameters of classical T Tauri stars, needs to be between a few and a few tens of percent. In this scenario, efficient braking of the star will terminate simultaneously with accretion, as is usually assumed to explain the rotation velocities of stars in young clusters.

The mass-dependence of angular momentum evolution in sun-like stars

Abstract: To better understand the observed distributions of the rotation rate and magnetic activity of Sun-like and low-mass stars, we derive a physically motivated scaling for the dependence of the stellar wind torque on the Rossby number. The torque also contains an empirically derived scaling with stellar mass (and radius), which provides new insight into the mass-dependence of stellar magnetic and wind properties. We demonstrate that this new formulation explains why the lowest mass stars are observed to maintain rapid rotation for much longer than solar-mass stars, and simultaneously why older populations exhibit a sequence of slowly rotating stars, in which the low-mass stars rotate more slowly than solar-mass stars. The model also reproduces some previously unexplained features in the period-mass diagram for the Kepler field, notably: the particular shape of the upper envelope of the distribution, suggesting that ~95% of Kepler field stars with measured rotation periods are younger than ~4 Gyr; and the shape of the lower envelope, corresponding to the location where stars transition between magnetically saturated and unsaturated regimes.

The Effect of Magnetic Topology on Thermally Driven Wind: Toward a General Formulation of the Braking Law

Abstract: Stellar wind is thought to be the main process responsible for the spin down of main-sequence stars. The extraction of angular momentum by a magnetized wind has been studied for decades, leading to several formulations for the resulting torque. However, previous studies generally consider simple dipole or split monopole stellar magnetic topologies. Here we consider, in addition to a dipolar stellar magnetic field, both quadrupolar and octupolar configurations, while also varying the rotation rate and the magnetic field strength. Sixty simulations made with a 2.5D cylindrical and axisymmetric set-up, and computed with the PLUTO code, were used to find torque formulations for each topology. We further succeed to give a unique law that fits the data for every topology by formulating the torque in terms of the amount of open magnetic flux in the wind. We also show that our formulation can be applied to even more realistic magnetic topologies, with examples of the Sun in its minimum and maximum phases as observed at the Wilcox Solar Observatory, and of a young K-star (TYC-0486-4943-1) whose topology has been obtained by Zeeman-Doppler Imaging.

Magnetic braking formulation for sun-like stars: dependence on dipole field strength and rotation rate

Abstract: We use two-dimensional axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic simulations to compute steady-state solutions for solar-like stellar winds from rotating stars with dipolar magnetic fields. Our parameter study includes 50 simulations covering a wide range of relative magnetic field strengths and rotation rates, extending from the slow- and approaching the fast-magnetic-rotator regimes. Using the simulations to compute the angular momentum loss, we derive a semi-analytic formulation for the external torque on the star that fits all of the simulations to a precision of a few percent. This formula provides a simple method for computing the magnetic braking of Sun-like stars due to magnetized stellar winds, which properly includes the dependence on the strength of the magnetic field, mass loss rate, stellar radius, surface gravity, and spin rate, and which is valid for both slow and fast rotators.

Accretion-powered Stellar Winds. II. Numerical Solutions for Stellar Wind Torques

Abstract: In order to explain the slow rotation observed in a large fraction of accreting pre-main-sequence stars (CTTSs), we explore the role of stellar winds in torquing down the stars. For this mechanism to be effective, the stellar winds need to have relatively high outflow rates, and thus would likely be powered by the accretion process itself. Here, we use numerical magnetohydrodynamical simulations to compute detailed two-dimensional (axisymmetric) stellar wind solutions, in order to determine the spin-down torque on the star. We discuss wind driving mechanisms and then adopt a Parker-like (thermal pressure driven) wind, modified by rotation, magnetic fields, and enhanced mass-loss rate (relative to the Sun). We explore a range of parameters relevant for CTTSs, including variations in the stellar mass, radius, spin rate, surface magnetic field strength, mass-loss rate, and wind acceleration rate. We also consider both dipole and quadrupole magnetic field geometries. Our simulations indicate that the stellar wind torque is of sufficient magnitude to be important for spinning down a "typical" CTTS, for a mass-loss rate of ~10−9 M☉ yr−1. The winds are wide-angle, self-collimated flows, as expected of magnetic rotator winds with moderately fast rotation. The cases with quadrupolar field produce a much weaker torque than for a dipole with the same surface field strength, demonstrating that magnetic geometry plays a fundamental role in determining the torque. Cases with varying wind acceleration rate show much smaller variations in the torque, suggesting that the details of the wind driving are less important. We use our computed results to fit a semianalytic formula for the effective Alfven radius in the wind, as well as the torque. This allows for considerable predictive power, and is an improvement over existing approximations.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Abstract: Monthly Notices is one of the three largest general primary astronomical research publications. It is an international journal, published by the Royal Astronomical Society. This article 1 describes its publication policy and practice.

Rotation periods of 34,030 kepler main-sequence stars: the full autocorrelation sample

Abstract: We analyzed three years of data from the Kepler space mission to derive rotation periods of main-sequence stars below 6500 K. Our automated autocorrelation-based method detected rotation periods between 0.2 and 70 days for 34,030 (25.6%) of the 133,030 main-sequence Kepler targets (excluding known eclipsing binaries and Kepler Objects of Interest), making this the largest sample of stellar rotation periods to date. In this paper we consider the detailed features of the now well-populated period-temperature distribution and demonstrate that the period bimodality, first seen by McQuillan et al. in the M-dwarf sample, persists to higher masses, becoming less visible above 0.6 M {sub ☉}. We show that these results are globally consistent with the existing ground-based rotation-period data and find that the upper envelope of the period distribution is broadly consistent with a gyrochronological age of 4.5 Gyr, based on the isochrones of Barnes, Mamajek, and Hillenbrand and Meibom et al. We also performed a detailed comparison of our results to those of Reinhold et al. and Nielsen et al., who measured rotation periods of field stars observed by Kepler. We examined the amplitude of periodic variability for the stars with detection rotation periods, and found a typical range betweenmore » ∼950 ppm (5th percentile) and ∼22,700 ppm (95th percentile), with a median of ∼5600 ppm. We found typically higher amplitudes for shorter periods and lower effective temperatures, with an excess of low-amplitude stars above ∼5400 K.« less

Introduction to Stellar Winds

Abstract: Preface 1. Historical overview 2. Observations of stellar winds 3. Basic concepts: isothermal winds 4. Basic concepts: non-isothermal winds 5. Coronal winds 6. Sound wave driven winds 7. Dust driven winds 8. Line driven winds 9. Magnetic rotator theory 10. Alfven wave driven winds 11. Outflowing disks from rotating stars 12. Winds colliding with the interstellar medium 13. The effects of mass loss on stellar evolution 14. Problems Appendices Bibliography Object index Index.

Magnetic Fields of Nondegenerate Stars

Abstract: Magnetic fields are present in a wide variety of stars throughout the HR diagram and play a role at basically all evolutionary stages, from very-low-mass dwarfs to very massive stars, and from young star-forming molecular clouds and protostellar accretion discs to evolved giants/supergiants and magnetic white dwarfs/neutron stars. These fields range from a few μG (e.g., in molecular clouds) to TG and more (e.g., in magnetic neutron stars); in nondegenerate stars in particular, they feature large-scale topologies varying from simple nearly axisymmetric dipoles to complex nonaxsymmetric structures, and from mainly poloidal to mainly toroidal topologies. After recalling the main techniques of detecting and modeling stellar magnetic fields, we review the existing properties of magnetic fields reported in cool, hot, and young nondegenerate stars and protostars, and discuss our understanding of the origin of these fields and their impact on the birth and life of stars.