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

Loren Matilsky被授予NSF天文学和天体物理奖学金，以在加州大学圣克鲁斯分校开展一项研究和教育计划。马蒂尔斯基将对磁化的旋转外壳进行超级计算机模拟，以表征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，这是对影响行星宜居性的强烈磁力爆发(如恒星耀斑和日冕物质抛射)建模的关键一步。马蒂尔斯基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驾驭研究和教学的技能。除了太阳之外，恒星中的发电机还鲜为人知，还没有得到充分的探索。马蒂尔斯基将通过对两种主要恒星几何结构--一颗有角跃层的类太阳恒星和一颗没有角跃层的全对流M矮星--进行一套模拟来解决这一知识鸿沟，模拟范围涵盖了自转下降期间实现的全部自转速度。这项工作将促进我们对观测到的低质量恒星活动-自转关系的理解，并确定发电机的性质是否在恒星的生命周期中发生根本变化。这一奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.