Rotation of Pre-Main Sequence Stars

Other

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

1

Scientific paper

There is nothing we know more accurately about a substantial number of pre-main sequence stars than their periods of rotation (P). Photometric monitoring programs have resulted in angular velocity (ω ={{2 π } / P}) measurements, typically accurate to about 1%, for more than a thousand pre-main sequence stars in Orion, NGC 2264, Tau/Aur and other young clusters and associations. Inferred masses and ages for these stars are typically 0.1 - 1 Msun and 0.5-3 My. The range in ω for stars of similar mass within the same cluster is about a factor of 20 and there is no apparent dependence on luminosity, radius or age. In the Orion Nebula Cluster there is a striking dependence of rotation on mass (M). Higher mass stars (0.25-1 Msun) have a bimodal period distribution with peaks near 2 and 8 days, while lower mass stars (0.1-0.25 Msun) have a unimodal distribution with a peak around 2 days. A similar result (with an interesting difference) has recently been obtained for NGC 2264 by Lamm et al. and is reported elsewhere at this meeting. Evidence is now strongly in favor of disk-locking as the primary mechanism for keeping many stars rotating at <=5% of their critical velocity while others spin much faster. In the ONC, the disk-locking time scale must be ~1 My or less for the solar-like (0.25-1 Msun ) stars to account for the observed frequency distribution of periods. Since specific angular momentum, j=J/M=k2R2ω , depends on the stellar radius (R), which is poorly constrained for pre-main sequence stars, we actually know less about angular momentum evolution than one might have expected given the wealth of information on ω . Spectroscopic measurements of projected equatorial velocities (v sin i) can be useful in a statistical sense in addressing this problem. I will review recent results obtained by this approach. Other issues that will be addressed include cluster-to-cluster differences in rotation properties and the possible effect of environment on rotation. The support of NASA, through its Origins program, for this research is gratefully acknowledged.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Rotation of Pre-Main Sequence Stars does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Rotation of Pre-Main Sequence Stars, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Rotation of Pre-Main Sequence Stars will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1719080

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.