Stellar Winds As a Mechanism to Tilt the Spin Axes of Sun-like Stars

Abstract

Abstract The rotation axis of the Sun is misaligned from the mean angular momentum plane of the solar system by about 6°. This obliquity significantly exceeds the ∼1°–2° distribution of inclinations among the planetary orbits and therefore requires a physical explanation. In concert, Sun-like stars are known to spin down by an order of magnitude throughout their lifetimes. This spindown is driven by the stellar wind, which carries angular momentum from the star. If the mean angular momentum axis of the stellar wind deviates from that of the stellar spin axis, it will lead to a component of the spindown torque that acts to tilt the star. Here, we show that solar-like tilts of 6° naturally arise during the first 10–100 Myr after planet formation as a result of stellar winds that deviate by about 10° from the star’s spin axis. These results apply to the idealized case of a dipole field, mildly inclined to the spin axis. Time-variability in the misalignment between the magnetic and spin poles is modeled as stochastic fluctuations, autocorrelated over timescales comparable to the primordial spindown time of several million years. In addition to wind direction, time-variability in mass-loss rate and magnetic topology over the stellar lifetime may alternatively generate obliquity. We hypothesize that the gaseous environments of young, open clusters may provide forcing over sufficient timescales to tilt the astrospheres of young stars, exciting modest obliquities. The more extreme, retrograde stellar obliquities of extrasolar planetary systems likely arise through separate mechanisms.