AAS 204th Meeting, June 2004
Session 36 Stellar-Solar Connection: What the Stars Teach Us about Our Sun
SPD Topical Session, Tuesday, June 1, 2004, 8:30-10:00am, 10:45am-12:30pm, 702/704/706

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[36.02] Surface Magnetic Fields on Cool Stars

J.A. Valenti (STScI), C.M. Johns-Krull (Rice)

We will provide an overview of the observed relationship between solar and stellar activity and magnetic fields. The well known rotation-activity relationship strongly suggests that magnetic fields are generated by dynamos, but solar and stellar data hint that two very different types of dynamos may operate together in cool stars. We will illustrate how Zeeman broadening is used to measure the distribution of magnetic field strengths in the photospheres of cool stars. We will present our magnetic field measurements for a T Tauri star, a Pleiad, and an M-dwarf flare star. Finally, we will revisit the hypothesis that field strength in solar and stellar magnetic features is set by pressure balance with the non-magnetic atmosphere.


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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 #2
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