The Effects of Magnetic Activity on Lithium-Inferred Ages of Stars. Issue Volume 9:Issue S302(2013) (7th August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Juarez, Aaron J.; Cargile, Phillip A.; James, David J.; Stassun, Keivan G.
• Editors: Petit, Pascal; Jardine, Moira; Spruit, Hendrik C.
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. Volume 9:Issue S302(2013)
• Page Start: 100
• Page End: 101
• Publication Date: 2014-08-07
• Subjects: Magnetic activity, -- fundamental parameters, -- pre-main sequence stars, -- open clusters; Astronomy -- Congresses; Astronomy -- Periodicals; 520
• DOI: 10.1017/S174392131400180X
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1743-9213

Abstract

Abstract: In this project, we investigate the effects of magnetic activity on the Lithium Depletion Boundary (LDB) to recalibrate the measured ages for star clusters, using the open cluster Blanco 1 as a pilot study. We apply the LDB technique on low-mass Pre-Main-Sequence (PMS) stars to derive an accurate age for Blanco 1, and we consider the effect of magnetic activity on this inferred age. Although observations have shown that magnetic activity directly affects stellar radius and temperature, most PMS models do not include the effects of magnetic activity on stellar properties. Since the lithium abundance of a star depends on its radius and temperature, we expect that LDB ages are affected by magnetic activity. After empirically accounting for the effects of magnetic activity, we find the age of Blanco 1 to be ~100 Myr, which is ~30 Myr younger than the standard LDB age of ~130 Myr.