Stellar magnetic field

A magnetic field generated within or around a star by moving electrically conducting plasma. Its structure and strength shape stellar activity, atmospheric conditions, and angular-momentum evolution.

Stellar dynamo: A process that generates and sustains magnetic fields through motion in an electrically conducting fluid. Convection and rotation inside many stars power this field-generating process.
Stellar flare: A sudden release of magnetic energy in a star’s atmosphere, producing enhanced radiation and energetic particles. Flares are conspicuous episodes of stellar magnetic energy release.
Solar magnetic field: The Sun’s changing magnetic field, generated by its dynamo and expressed in features such as sunspots and coronal loops. The Sun provides the best-observed example of a stellar magnetic field.
Poloidal magnetic field: A magnetic-field component whose lines lie in meridional planes containing an object's rotation axis. This component links stellar poles and contributes to large-scale field geometry.
Magnetic activity-rotation relation: The observed dependence of stellar magnetic activity on rotation rate, often organized by Rossby number. Its saturation and scatter constrain how stellar dynamos respond to rotation.
Magnetohydrodynamics: The study of electrically conducting fluids interacting with magnetic fields. Its equations describe how stellar plasma and magnetic fields evolve together.
Starspot: A comparatively cool, dark region on a star’s photosphere associated with concentrated magnetic fields. Spot patterns trace the surface distribution and rotation of magnetic regions.
Solar cycle: The roughly 11-year variation in the number of sunspots and other indicators of solar activity. Its recurring activity pattern reflects large-scale changes in the solar magnetic field.
Toroidal magnetic field: A magnetic-field component that wraps azimuthally around an object's rotation axis. Differential rotation can wind poloidal fields into this component.
Magnetic braking: The loss of rotational angular momentum through magnetized outflows. The strength and timescale of this process remain uncertain across stellar types.

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