Scientists of Birmingham University revealed that the old stars rotate faster than previously thought. On the opening of abnormal behavior, the Lamps reported in the article published in the Nature Astronomy magazine.
It is known that with age, the rotation of the stars is slowed down due to the so-called magnetic braking occurring as a result of the effects of the magnetic field. In 2016, scientists, analyzing the flow of dark spots on the surface of the shone, showed that the stars of the same age as the sun, rotate faster than the theory involves. At the same time, older stars have fewer dark spots, which makes it difficult to accurately.
To clarify the speed of rotation, the researchers team used the methods of astrosheysmology, which allow measuring fluctuations or modes caused by sound waves in the depths of the star. When the star rotates, these modes are split into different frequencies by which you can determine the period of the turnover of the star around the axis. New data has shown that magnetic braking in old stars is really weakened.
According to scientists, the results of the work will help to establish whether it is possible to expect to reduce solar activity and harmful consequences from changes in space weather in the future. This requires more advanced sun rotation models.