event
Tuesday 23 May 2017: Searching for Spots on Young Stars
Andy Wilson - University of Exeter
4th Floor Interaction Area 11:15-11:45
Observational evidence indicates that young stars may have a spot coverage of up to 50%. This would indicate a strong magnetic field that would inhibit convection, and could cause the radius of magnetically active stars to be larger than those with weak magnetic fields. As radius is used as a proxy for age so the spread in age that is observed in young star clusters may be in part due to a range in magnetic field strength. Spectroscopy can be used to detect starspots that cover a large proportion of the stellar photosphere. This talk will look at the spectroscopic analysis and preliminary investigation of a selection of K and M-type stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster, looking for indications of large surface area coverage by cool spots.
