Information from starquakes provides theoretical evidence for 'fossilized' magnetism in stars

For the first time, new theoretical models, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, connect the magnetism at the surface of long-dead stellar remnants (white dwarfs) with recent evidence of magnetism at the cores of their dying progenitors (red giants). The team, led by astrophysicists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), argues that these magnetic fields might originate early in the stars' lives, and survive their entire evolution, emerging as "fossil fields" at the surfaces of older remnants. A better understanding of these processes can also help to better understand our own sun's future.