2009/01/11 by Wayne L. Waldron, W. L. Waldron, J. P. Cassinelli +1 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph.HE
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/692/2/l76
Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, 4 pages, 4 figures (color), 1 table
arxiv created 2009/01/11 · openalex publication_date 2009/01/28 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
The observed X-ray source temperature distributions in OB stellar winds, as determined from high energy resolution Chandra observations, show that the highest temperatures occur near the star, and then steadily decrease outward through the wind. To explain this unexpected behavior, we propose a shock model concept that utilizes a well-known magnetic propulsion mechanism: the surface ejection of "diamagnetic plasmoids" into a diverging external magnetic field. This produces rapidly accelerating self-contained structures that plow through an ambient wind and form bow shocks that generate a range in X-ray temperatures determined by the plasmoid–wind relative velocities. The model free parameters are the plasmoid initial Alfvén speed, the initial plasma-β of the external medium, and the divergence rate of the external field. These are determined by fitting the predicted bow shock temperatures with the observed OB supergiant X-ray temperature distribution. We find that the initial external plasma-β has a range between 0 and 2, and the assumed radially decreasing external magnetic field strength that scales as r − S has a value of S lying between 2 and 3. Most importantly, the initial plasmoid Alfvén speed is found to be well constrained at a value of 0.6 V ∞ , which appears to represent an upper limit for all normal OB stars. This intriguing new limit on OB magnetic properties, as derived from Chandra observations, emphasizes the need for further studies of magnetic propulsion mechanisms in these stars.