The angular momentum (AM) evolution of stellar interiors, along with the resulting rotation rates of stellar remnants, remains poorly understood. Asteroseismic measurements of red giant stars reveal that their cores rotate much faster than their surfaces, but much slower than theoretically predicted, indicating an unidentified source of AM transport operates in their radiative cores. Motivated by this, we investigate the magnetic Tayler instability and argue that it saturates when turbulent dissipation of the perturbed magnetic field energy is equal to magnetic energy generation via winding. This leads to larger magnetic field amplitudes, more efficient AM transport, and smaller shears than predicted by the classic Tayler-Spruit dynamo. We provide prescriptions for the effective AM diffusivity and incorporate them into numerical stellar models, finding they largely reproduce (1) the nearly rigid rotation of the Sun and main sequence stars, (2) the core rotation rates of low-mass red giants during hydrogen shell and helium burning, and (3) the rotation rates of white dwarfs. We discuss implications for stellar rotational evolution, internal rotation profiles, rotational mixing, and the spins of compact objects.
Internal stellar magnetic fields are inaccessible to direct observations, and little is known about their amplitude, geometry, and evolution. We demonstrate that strong magnetic fields in the cores of red giant stars can be identified with asteroseismology. The fields can manifest themselves via depressed dipole stellar oscillation modes, arising from a magnetic greenhouse effect that scatters and traps oscillation-mode energy within the core of the star. The Kepler satellite has observed a few dozen red giants with depressed dipole modes, which we interpret as stars with strongly magnetized cores. We find that field strengths larger than ~10(5) gauss may produce the observed depression, and in one case we infer a minimum core field strength of ≈10(7) gauss.
Early observations of supernovae (SNe) indicate that enhanced mass loss and pre-SN outbursts may occur in progenitors of many types of SNe. We investigate the role of energy transport via waves driven by vigorous convection during late-stage nuclear burning of otherwise typical 15 M red supergiant SNe progenitors. Using MESA stellar evolution models including 1D hydrodynamics, we find that waves carry ∼ 10 7 L of power from the core to the envelope during core neon/oxygen burning in the final years before core collapse. The waves damp via shocks and radiative diffusion at the base of the hydrogen envelope, which heats up fast enough to launch a pressure wave into the overlying envelope that steepens into a weak shock near the stellar surface, causing a mild stellar outburst and ejecting a small ( 1 M ) amount of mass at low speed ( 50 km/s) roughly one year before the SN. The wave heating inflates the stellar envelope but does not completely unbind it, producing a non-hydrostatic pre-SN envelope density structure different from prior expectations. In our models, wave heating is unlikely to lead to luminous type IIn SNe, but it may contribute to flash-ionized SNe and some of the diversity seen in II-P/II-L SNe.
The age of gravitational wave (GW) astronomy has begun, and black hole (BH) mergers detected by LIGO are providing novel constraints on massive star evolution. A major uncertainty in stellar theory is the angular momentum (AM) transport within the star that determines its core rotation rate and the resulting BH's spin. Internal rotation rates of low-mass stars measured from asteroseismology prove that AM transport is efficient, suggesting that massive stellar cores may rotate slower than prior expectations. We investigate AM transport via the magnetic Tayler instability, which can largely explain the rotation rates of low-mass stars and white dwarfs. Implementing an updated AM transport prescription into models of high-mass stars, we compute the spins of their BH remnants. We predict that BHs born from single stars rotate very slowly, with a ∼ 10 −2 , regardless of initial rotation rate, possibly explaining the low χ eff of most BH binaries detected by LIGO thus far. A limited set of binary models suggests slow rotation for many binary scenarios as well, although homogeneous evolution and tidal spin-up of post-common envelope helium stars can create moderate or high BH spins. We make predictions for the values of χ eff in future LIGO events, and we discuss implications for engine-powered transients.
The inner moons of Jupiter and Saturn migrate outwards due to tidal energy dissipation within the planets, the details of which remain poorly understood. We demonstrate that resonance locking between moons and internal oscillation modes of the planet can produce rapid tidal migration. Resonance locking arises due to the internal structural evolution of the planet and typically produces an outward migration rate comparable to the age of the solar system. Resonance locking predicts a similar migration timescale but a different effective tidal quality factor Q governing the migration of each moon. It also predicts nearly constant migration timescales a function of semi-major axis, such that effective Q values were larger in the past. Recent measurements of Jupiter and Saturn's moon systems find effective Q values that are smaller than expected (and are different between moons), and which correspond to migration timescales of ∼10 Gyr. If confirmed, the measurements are broadly consistent with resonance locking as the dominant source of tidal dissipation in Jupiter and Saturn. Resonance locking also provides solutions to several problems posed by current measurements: it naturally explains the exceptionally small Q governing Rhea's migration, it allows the large heating rate of Enceladus to be achieved in an equilibrium eccentricity configuration, and it resolves evolutionary problems arising from present-day migration/heating rates.
Tidal effects in planetary systems are the main driver in the orbital migration of natural satellites. They result from physical processes occurring deep inside celestial bodies, whose effects are rarely observable from surface imaging. For giant planet systems, the tidal migration rate is determined by poorly understood dissipative processes in the planet, and standard theories suggest an orbital expansion rate inversely proportional to the power 11/2 in distance 1 , implying little migration for outer moons such as Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Here, we use two independent measurements obtained with the Cassini spacecraft to measure Titans orbital expansion rate. We find Titan migrates away from Saturn at 11.3 ± 2.0 cm/year, corresponding to a tidal quality factor of Saturn of Q ' 100, and a migration timescale of roughly 10 Gyr. This rapid orbital expansion suggests Titan formed significantly closer to Saturn and has migrated outward to its current position. Our results for Titan and five other moons agree with the predictions of a resonance locking tidal theory 2 , sustained by excitation of inertial waves inside the planet. The associated tidal expansion is only weakly sensitive to orbital distance, motivating a revision of the evolutionary history of Saturns moon system. The resonance locking mechanism could operate in other systems such as stellar binaries and exoplanet systems, and it may allow for tidal dissipation to occur at larger orbital separations than previously believed.Saturn is orbited by 62 moons, and the intricate dynamics of this complex system provide clues about its formation and evolution. Of crucial importance are tidal interactions between the moons and the planet. Each moon raises a tidal bulge in the planet, and because Saturn rotates faster than the moons orbit, frictional processes within the planet cause the tidal bulge to lead in front of each moon. Each moon's tidal bulge pulls the moon forward such that it gains angular momentum and migrates outward, similar to the tidal evolution of the Earth-Moon system. However, in giant planets such as Saturn, the dissipative processes that determine the bulge lag 2
General relativity 1 predicts that short orbital period binaries emit significant gravitational radiation, and the upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) 2 is expected to 1
Context. While rotation has a major impact on stellar structure and evolution, its effects are not well understood. Thanks to highquality and long timebase photometric observations obtained with recent space missions, we are now able to study stellar rotation more precisely. Aims. We aim to constrain radial differential rotation profiles in γ Doradus (γ Dor) stars, and to develop new theoretical seismic diagnosis for such stars with rapid and potentially non-uniform rotation. Methods. We derive a new asymptotic description which accounts for the impact of weak differential near-core rotation on gravitymode period spacings. The theoretical predictions are illustrated from pulsation computations with the code GYRE and compared with observations of γ Dor stars. When possible, we also derive the surface rotation rates in these stars by detecting and analysing signatures of rotational modulation, and compute the core-to-surface rotation ratios. Results. Stellar rotation has to be strongly differential before its effects on period spacing patterns can be detected, unless multiple period spacing patterns can be compared. Six stars in our sample exhibit a single unexplained period spacing pattern of retrograde modes. We hypothesise that these are Yanai modes. Finally, we find signatures of rotational spot modulation in the photometric data of eight targets.Conclusions. If only one period spacing pattern is detected and analysed for a star, it is difficult to detect differential rotation. A rigidly rotating model will often provide the best solution. Differential rotation can only be detected when multiple period spacing patterns have been found for a single star or its surface rotation rate is known as well. This is the case for eight stars in our sample, revealing surface-to-core rotation ratios between 0.95 and 1.05.
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