Magnetic fields and stellar evolution

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All stars are natural magnets, thanks to the dynamic, electrically conductive gases that compose them. And because the magnetic fields of stars can be very strong, they represent a basic element in astrophysicists' theory of stellar structure and evolution. In recently years it has been clearly demonstrated that magnetic fields have essential impacts on stellar lives, modifying their interior flows of gas, changing their internal rotational profiles and distributions of nucleosynthetic chemicals, channeling and modifying their outflowing winds, and slowing their surface rotation through so-called "magnetic braking". Ultimately, these effects result in important changes in the evolution of stars, leading in particular to modifications of the relationships between stellar temperatures, luminosities, sizes and ages. They also influence the important outputs of stars in terms of the mass and luminous energy injected into the surrounding interstellar medium during their lives. More remarkably, they can also influence the dramatic supernova explosions that mark the deaths of the most massive stars. These effects directly impact the properties of exotic remnant white dwarf and neutron stars, and change how populations of stars contribute to the structure and chemistry of their local Galactic environments.