Short period binary systems containing magnetic Ap stars are anomalously rare. This apparent anomaly may provide insight into the origin of the magnetic fields in theses stars. As an early investigation of this, we observed three close binary systems
that have been proposed to host Ap stars. Two of these systems (HD 22128 and HD 56495) we find contain Am stars, but not Ap stars. However, for one system (HD 98088) we find the primary is indeed an Ap star, while the secondary is an Am star. Additionally, the Ap star is tidally locked to the secondary, and the predominately dipolar magnetic field of the Ap star is roughly aligned with the secondary. Further investigations of HD 98088 are planned by the BinaMIcS collaboration.
In A- and late B-type stars, strong magnetic fields are always associated with Ap and Bp chemical peculiarities. However, it is not clear at what point in a stars evolution those peculiarities develop. Strong magnetic fields have been observed in pre
-main sequence A and B stars (Herbig Ae and Be stars), and these objects have been proposed to be the progenitors of Ap and Bp stars. However, the photospheric chemical abundances of these magnetic Herbig stars have not been studied carefully, and furthermore the chemical abundances of normal non-magnetic Herbig stars remain poorly characterized. To investigate this issue, we have studied the photospheric compositions of 23 Herbig stars, four of which have confirmed magnetic fields. Surprisingly, we found that half the non-magnetic stars in our sample show lambda Bootis chemical peculiarities to varying degrees. For the stars with detected magnetic fields, we find one chemically normal star, one star with lambda Boo peculiarities, one star displaying weak Ap/Bp peculiarities, and one somewhat more evolved star with somewhat stronger Ap/Bp peculiarities. These results suggests that Ap/Bp peculiarities are preceded by magnetic fields, and that these peculiarities develop over the pre-main sequence lives of A and B stars. The incidence of lambda Boo stars we find is much higher than that seen on the main sequence. We argue that a selective accretion model for the formation of lambda Boo peculiarities is a natural explanation for this remarkably large incidence.
The surface rotation rates of young solar-type stars decrease rapidly with age from the end of the pre-main sequence though the early main sequence. This suggests that there is also an important change in the dynamos operating in these stars, which s
hould be observable in their surface magnetic fields. Here we present early results in a study aimed at observing the evolution of these magnetic fields through this critical time period. We are observing stars in open clusters and stellar associations to provide precise ages, and using Zeeman Doppler Imaging to characterize the complex magnetic fields. Presented here are results for six stars, three in the in the beta Pic association (~10 Myr old) and three in the AB Dor association (~100 Myr old).
