How Are Dynamos Born And How Do They Die? Characterizing Stellar Magnetism During Spin-Down

Loren Matilsky被授予NSF天文学和天体物理学奖学金，在圣克鲁斯的加州大学开展研究和教育计划。 Matilsky将对磁化旋转壳进行超级计算机模拟，以描述恒星中的全球发电机。 该项目的结果将使天文学家能够更好地了解恒星发电机，这是模拟“空间天气”的关键一步-剧烈的磁爆发，如恒星耀斑和日冕物质抛射-影响行星的可居住性。 Matilsky还将建立一个同行指导计划，帮助学生和博士后研究人员获得导航研究和教学的技能。太阳以外的恒星中的发电机知之甚少，尚未得到充分的探索。 Matilsky将通过对两种主要的恒星几何形状--一种具有速跃层的类太阳星星和一种没有速跃层的完全对流的M矮星--进行一系列模拟来解决这一知识差距，这些模拟涵盖了自旋下降期间实现的全部旋转速率。 这项工作将促进我们对低质量恒星中观测到的活动-旋转关系的理解，并确定发电机的性质是否在星星的生命中发生根本变化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Loren Matilsky is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Matilsky will perform supercomputer simulations of magnetized, rotating shells to characterize global dynamos in stars. Results from this project will allow astronomers to better understand stellar dynamos, a critical step in modeling “space weather” – violent magnetic eruptions such as stellar flares and coronal mass ejections – that influences planetary habitability. Matilsky will also establish a peer mentoring program that will help students and postdoctoral researchers gain the skills to navigate research and teaching.Dynamos in stars other than the Sun are poorly understood and have yet to be adequately explored. Matilsky will address this knowledge gap by implementing a suite of simulations for two main stellar geometries – a Sun-like star with a tachocline and a fully convective M-dwarf with no tachocline – spanning the full range of rotation rates achieved during spin-down. This work will advance our understanding of the observed activity-rotation relation in low mass stars and determine whether the nature of the dynamo changes fundamentally during a star’s life.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.