03/10/2023
By Lynne Schaufenbil
Title: Magnetic Braking in Open Clusters and Low Mass X-ray Binaries
Abstract: Magnetic braking is an integral process in the evolution of low mass stars, impacting their rotation and tied to their magnetic field, winds, and possibly the dynamo. The development of models that explain the physics behind magnetic braking have been under development for decades, but contemporary models used to simulate the evolution of stellar rotation rates have often been considered either in the context of single stars or binary stars and have rarely been tested across regimes. We perform a study that applies four prominent magnetic braking prescriptions across the single and binary star regimes, testing their ability to consistently describe the spin evolution of low mass stars. I will give a brief overview of magnetic braking, our results, and their implications.
Short bio:
I'm a CIERA postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University. I'm studying stellar evolution, modeling stars and stellar populations to better understand their underlying physics and relation to the Universe, with a special interest in phenomena related to stellar rotation. I received my PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Harvard in 2021.
Please contact Lynne_Schaufenbil@uml.edu for the Zoom link if you are interested.