Extremely asymmetric bipolar magnetic field of the Bp star HD 57372
Fossil magnetic fields of early-type stars are typically characterised by symmetric or slightly distorted oblique dipolar surface geometries. Contrary to this trend, the late-B magnetic chemically peculiar star HD 57372 exhibits an unusually large rotational variation of its mean magnetic field modulus, suggesting a highly atypical field configuration. We present a Zeeman Doppler imaging analysis of HD 57372 that reveals an exceptionally asymmetric bipolar magnetic topology, which is rarely observed in early-type stars. According to our magnetic field maps, reconstructed from the intensity and circular polarisation profiles of Fe, Cr, and Ti lines, approximately 66% of the stellar surface is covered by a diffuse, outward directed radial field, with local field strength reaching 11.6 kG. The remaining 34% hosts a highly concentrated inward directed field with a strong horizontal component and a peak strength of 17.8 kG. These unusual surface magnetic field characteristics make HD 57372 a notable object for testing fossil-field theories and interpreting phase-resolved spectropolarimetric observations of early-type stars.
Authors
- O. Kochukhov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3061-4591)
Institutions
- Uppsala University (SE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Published
- 2025-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202554395
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.31
Funders
- Swedish National Space Agency
- Vetenskapsrådet