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Magnetic fields, winds and X-rays of massive stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 November 2008

Véronique Petit ,
G. A. Wade ,
L. Drissen ,
T. Montmerle  and
E. Alecian
Véronique Petit
Affiliation:
Département de Physique, Centre de recherche en Astrophysique du Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
G. A. Wade
Affiliation:
Department Physics, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Canada
L. Drissen
Affiliation:
Département de Physique, Centre de recherche en Astrophysique du Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
T. Montmerle
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, Université Joseph Fourier, CNRS, Grenoble, France
E. Alecian
Affiliation:
Department Physics, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Canada
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Abstract

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In massive stars, magnetic fields are thought to confine the outflowing radiatively-driven wind, resulting in X-ray emission that is harder, more variable and more efficient than that produced by instability-generated shocks in non-magnetic winds. Although magnetic confinement of stellar winds has been shown to strongly modify the mass-loss and X-ray characteristics of massive OB stars, we lack a detailed understanding of the complex processes responsible. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between magnetism, stellar winds and X-ray emission of OB stars. In conjunction with a Chandra survey of the Orion Nebula Cluster, we carried out spectropolarimatric ESPaDOnS observations to determine the magnetic properties of massive OB stars of this cluster.

Keywords

Stars: magnetic fields – stars: mass loss – stars: early-type – X-rays: stars – techniques: polarimetric

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