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Stellar magnetic cycles

 

overlapping buterfly diagram with 100m/s meridional flow   Do rapid rotators have cycles?

Surface magnetic maps of rapidly-rotating solar-like stars show that (unlike the Sun) they have mixed-polarity flux at all latitudes, even close to the rotation pole. We have determined that in order to reproduce this behaviour, both the latitudes at which flux emerges on the surface must be extended, and the speed of the meridional flow must be increased (Mackay et al, 2004).

 

 
  Picture credit: Mackay & Jardine