Collaborative Research: New Models Of Stellar Evolution To Understand The Past, Present & Future Of Magnetic Massive Stars

Principal Investigators (PIs) Petit, Oksala, and MacDonald will generate computer models to study the formation and evolution of magnetic fields in massive stars. One mystery the PIs hope to solve is whether a strong magnetic field changes the ultimate outcome of a core-collapse supernova. The PIs are members of the Delaware Teachers Institute (DTI) and they will collaborate with K-12 teachers to produce a set of astronomy curriculum units.

The mechanism that generates and maintains a magnetic field in massive stars is poorly understood as the stars lack a convective envelope which could drive a dynamo. The team will generate models by implementing the evolution of the magnetic field into stellar evolution codes. They will study how the interplay of fossil fields, stellar winds, convection, and rotation affects the end point, i.e., the formation of neutron stars, black holes, and gravitational wave progenitors.

The team will also construct an empirical Initial B-field Function (IBF) based on the current-day properties of known magnetic OB stars to provide a basis for models attempting to explain the origin of magnetism in massive stars.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.