Recovery of the global magnetic field configuration of 78 Virginis from Stokes IQUV line profiles

¹ Département de Physique et d'Astronomie, Université de Moncton, Moncton, N.-B., E1A 3E9, Canada e-mail: khalakv@umoncton.ca
² Main Astronomical Observatory, 27 Zabolotnoho Str., 03680 Kyiv, Ukraine
³ Department of Physics, Royal Military College of Canada, PO Box 17000 stn “FORCES”, Kingston, Ontario, K7K 4B4 Canada

Received: 9 October 2005
Accepted: 25 January 2006

Abstract

The surface magnetic field configuration of the Ap star HD 118022 (78 Vir) has been reconstructed in the framework of the magnetic charge distribution (MCD) method from the analysis of Stokes  spectra obtained using the MuSiCoS spectropolarimeter at Pic du Midi Observatory. Magnetically-sensitive Fe ii lines were primarily employed in the analysis, supposing that iron is evenly distributed over the stellar surface. We show that the Stokes  profile shapes and variations of 78 Vir can be approximately fit assuming a global magnetic field configuration described by a slightly decentered, inclined magnetic dipole of polar surface intensity approximately 3.3 kG. The derived inclinations of the stellar rotational axis to the line of sight  ± as well as to the magnetic dipole axis  ± are in good agreement with previous estimations by other authors, whereas the sky-projected position angle of the stellar rotation axis is reported here for the first time. In addition, several lines of Cr ii and Ti ii were studied, yielding evidence for non-uniform surface distributions of these elements, and magnetic field results similar to those derived from Fe.