Rotation plays a role in the

generation of magnetic fields in

single white dwarfs
Show affiliations

 Hernandez, Mercedes S. ;

 Schreiber, Matthias R. ;

 Landstreet, John D. ;

 Bagnulo, Stefano ;

 Parsons, Steven G. ;

 Chavarria, Martin ;

 Toloza, Odette ;
 Bell, Keaton J.

Abstract
Recent surveys of close white dwarf binaries as well as
single white dwarfs have provided evidence for the late
appearance of magnetic fields in white dwarfs, and a
possible generation mechanism, a crystallization and
rotation-driven dynamo has been suggested. A key
prediction of this dynamo is that magnetic white dwarfs
rotate, at least on average, faster than their non-
magnetic counterparts and/or that the magnetic field
strength increases with rotation. Here we present
rotation periods of ten white dwarfs within 40 pc
measured using photometric variations. Eight of the
light curves come from TESS observations and are thus
not biased towards short periods, in contrast to most
period estimates that have been reported previously in
the literature. These TESS spin periods are indeed
systematically shorter than those of non-magnetic white
dwarfs. This means that the crystallization and rotation-
driven dynamo could be responsible for a fraction of the
magnetic fields in white dwarfs. However, the full
sample of magnetic white dwarfs also contains slowly
rotating strongly magnetic white dwarfs which indicates
that another mechanism that leads to the late
appearance of magnetic white dwarfs might be at work,
either in addition to or instead of the dynamo. The fast-
spinning and massive magnetic white dwarfs that
appear in the literature form a small fraction of
magnetic white dwarfs, and probably result from a
channel related to white dwarf mergers.

Publication:

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,

Volume 528, Issue 4, pp.6056-6074

Pub Date:

March 2024

DOI:

10.1093/mnras/stae307
10.48550/arXiv.2401.15158

arXiv:

arXiv:2401.15158

Bibcode:

2024MNRAS.528.6056H

Keywords:


magnetic fields;
 
stars: rotation;


starspots;


white dwarfs;


Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

E-Print Comments:

20 pages, 10 figures, 8 tables, accepted for

publication in MNRAS