Exploring the Small-scale Magnetic Fields of the Solar Analog KIC 8006161 Using Asteroseismology

Abstract

The magnetic field is a significant and universal physical phenomenon in modern astrophysics. Small-scale magnetic fields are very important in the stellar atmosphere. They are ubiquitous and strongly couple with acoustic waves. Therefore, their presence affects the properties of acoustic waves in the stellar outer layer. In the present work, under the assumption that small-scale magnetic features are the cause of the asteroseismic surface term (the frequency-dependent frequency offset between stars and their models), we explore the strength of such fields in the solar analog KIC 8006161. By considering the effect of small-scale magnetic fields in the stellar photosphere, we use the observed oscillation frequencies to constrain the inner structures and surface small-scale magnetic fields of solar-like star KIC 8006161. To agree with the existing observations, such as oscillation frequencies, and their frequency separation ratios, the theoretical model requires a small-scale magnetic field to form a magnetic-arch splicing layer in the stellar outer atmosphere. The small-scale magnetic field strengths for KIC 8006161 obtained from best-fit model with Y init = 0.249 + 1.33 Z init and Y init as a free parameter are approximately 96 and 89 G, respectively. The corresponding locations of the magnetic-arch splicing layer are about 522 and 510 km, respectively.