Magnetism, rotation and large-scale wind variability of O-type stars (1111.0212v1)

Abstract: The common - arguably ubiquitous - large-scale variability of optical and UV lines profiles of hot, massive stars is widely interpreted as the direct consequence of structured, variable winds. Many of the variability phenomena are observed to recur on timescales compatible with stellar rotation, suggesting a picture in which perturbations at the base of the wind - carried into view by stellar rotation - produce large-scale outward-propagating density structures. Magnetic fields have been repeatedly proposed to be at the root of these phenomena, although evidence supporting this view remains tenuous. In this review I discuss the evidence for large-scale structures in the winds of O-type stars, the relationship between the observed recurrence timescales and the expected stellar rotational periods, the magnetic and variability properties of known magnetic O-type stars, and their implications for understanding wind variability of the broader population.