Abstract

Contributed Talk - Splinter MassiveStars   (MW-1050)

MHD simulations of magnetospheres around massive stars

Manfred Küker, Swetlana Hubrig, Silva Järvinen
Leibnitz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam

Massive stars lose mass through line-driven winds. The presence of a strong stellar magnetic field changes the gas flow profoundly and traps some of it. Gas emerging from the polar cap can escape unimpeded. Gas flowing from the equatorial region is held back by closed field lines and forms a magnetosphere. I will present numerical simulations showing the formation and evolution of the magnetosphere and its impact on the stellar mass loss rate.