Matteo Cantiello edited Discussion.tex  about 9 years ago

Commit id: 71054053a7858903d4dbd4d01855aeeb58c2521e

deletions | additions      

       

The striking agreement between the theoretical expectations for the $\ell=1$ modes visibility and the observations of \citet{Mosser_2011} conclusively shows that the energy sink for the suppressed dipole modes is located in the stellar core (see Fig.~\ref{fig:moneyplot}). The core acts as an efficient energy sink: all the waves leaking through the evanescent region never couple back to the envelope modes. We have shown that the magnetic greenhouse effect can provide such maximally efficient trapping, thanks to the symmetry breaking enforced by any plausible geometry of a (strong enough) magnetic field.  While it is possible that other symmetry breaking mechanisms could play a role similar to a strong magnetic field, we believe this is an unlikely explanation for the bulk of the suppressed dipoles sample (see details in the supplementary material). This is because the rotation rate required to modify the incoming waves such that they will be trapped in the core, is two orders of magnitude higher than the values commonly observed in the cores of these stars \citep{Beck_2011,Mosser_2012}. Moreover the magnetic greenhouse effect makes a clear prediction: that for stars with frequency of maximum power similar to the critical magneto gravity frequency $\nu_{\rm c}$, dipole modes with $\nu >\nu_{\rm c}$ will be unaffected, while those with $\nu <\nu_{\rm c}$ should show suppression. The early subgiant star KIC 8561221 displays this exact behavior \citep{Garcia_2014}, demonstrating the reality of the magnetic greenhouse effect.  Internal magnetic fields in red giants have been discussed in the context of thermohaline mixing suppression from B-fields \cite{Charbonnel_2007}. Requires B$\sim10^5$ G above the H-burning shell. From surface abundance observations it seems to occur in 5-10\% of red giants. Roughly consistent with the Ap stars statistics.  For the magnetic greenhouse effect to operate, stars need to have magnetic fields with a longitudinal component $B\gtrsim 10^4 {\rm G}$ around the location of the H-burning shell. We note that magnetic fields of similar amplitude have been discussed in order to explain the suppression of thermohaline mixing in a small fraction of red giant stars, as inferred from the observations of surface abundances \cite{Charbonnel_2007}.  Magnetic fields with these characteristics could be present if the star retained a fossil field with surface amplitude $\sim 1 {\rm kG}$, or if a convective core dynamo was at work during the main sequence (equipartition magnetic fields easily above $B \sim 10^5 {\rm G}$).