RMxAA

Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica

ISSN: 3061-8649
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Keywords

stars: evolution
stars: late-type
stars: magnetic fields
stars: mass loss
stars: rotation

How to Cite

On the Evolution of Angular Momentum, Magnetic Activity and Mass Loss Rate of Late Type Main Sequence Stars. (2020). Revista Mexicana De Astronomía Y Astrofísica, 56(1), 139-171. https://doi.org/10.22201/ia.01851101p.2020.56.01.14

Abstract

With the best data, I find that nearly all 0.5 to 1.2 M main sequence stars converge to a single rotational mass-dependent sequence after 750 Myr; when M > 0.8 M, most of them converge in ≈ 120 Myr. If stars rotate as rigid bodies, most have angular momenta within clear bounds. The lower bound defines a terminal main sequence rotational isochrone, the upper one coincides with slow rotators from the Pleiades; stars from Praesepe delineate a third one. Mass dependent exponential relationships between angular momentum and age are determined. Age estimates based on the angular momentum are acceptable for stars older than 750 Myr and with M > 0.6 - 0.7 M. The Rossby number indicates that the Parker dynamo may cease early on in stars with M/M ≥ 1.1. An empirical formula and a model for the torque, and a relation between rotational period and magnetic field, lead to a formula for the evolution of the mass loss rate; the present solar rate is near a minimum and was about five times larger when life on Earth started.
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