No evidence of a strong magnetic field in the Blazhko star RR Lyrae

Details No evidence of a strong magnetic field in the Blazhko star RR Lyrae No evidence of a strong magnetic field in the Blazhko star RR Lyrae

Jan 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004a%26a...413.1087c&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics, v.413, p.1087-1093 (2004)

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

39

Stars: Variables: Rr Lyr, Stars: Oscillations, Stars: Magnetic Fields, Stars: Individual: Rr Lyrae, Techniques: Spectroscopic, Polarimetric

Scientific paper

In this paper we report a new series of high-precision (median σB˜ 80 G) longitudinal magnetic field measurements of RR Lyrae, the brightest Blazhko star, obtained with the MuSiCoS spectropolarimeter over a period of almost 4 years from 1999-2002. These data provide no evidence whatsoever for a strong magnetic field in the photosphere of RR Lyrae, a result consistent with Preston's (\cite{Preston67}) results, but inconsistent with apparent magnetic field detections by Babcock (\cite{Babcock58}) and Romanov et al. (\cite{Romanov87}, \cite{Romanov94}). Following discussion of these disparate results, we conclude that RR Lyrae is a {bona fide} non-magnetic star, a conclusion which leads to the general falsification of models of the Blazkho effect requiring strong photospheric magnetic fields. Furthermore, due to the 4 year baseline of our observations, we can also dismiss the hypothesis that RR Lyrae undergoes a 4-year ``magnetic cycle''. Therefore the origin of the observed 4-year modulation of RR Lyrae remains unexplained, and we stress the need for additional theoretical efforts to come to a better understanding of this phenomenon.
Based on observations obtained with the MuSiCoS spectropolarimeter attached to the 2 m Bernard-Lyot Telescope of the Pic du Midi Observatory, France.

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