Physics & Astronomy Colloquium – Next Friday, 29 June – DR. GAUTIER MATHYS, ALMA-ESO Observatory

Poster: http://www.physics.uwo.ca/colloquia/Colloquia%20Notices/2011_2012/MATHYS%20Colloquium.pdf

 

Western University
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

 

PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY COLLOQUIUM

 

Date:           Friday, 29th June 2012
Time:          1:30 p.m.
Location:    Physics & Astronomy Seminar Room 22

 

Dr. Gautier Mathys
Joint ALMA Observatory
& European Southern Observatory, CHILE

 

“Rotation, Magnetism, Binarity, and Chemical Peculiarities in A-type Stars”

 

ABSTRACT

 

In recent years, growing evidence has been collected for the existence of a number of dependences between rotation rate, magnetic field strength and structure, and binary orbital properties, of magnetic chemically peculiar stars of spectral type A (Ap stars). One of the most recent and intriguing results suggests the existence of a connection between rotation and orbital periods in Ap binaries. I shall discuss the nature of this connection and its potential implications for the origin of the magnetic fields of Ap stars.