3D MHD Simulations of Magnetospheres from Obliquely Rotating Magnetic Massive Stars

<p>We present results from the first 3D MHD simulations of the stellar-wind-fed magnetospheres from massive stars with a dipole magnetic axis that has an arbitrary obliquity angle (<span class="math-tex">\(\beta\)</span>) to the star&rsquo;s rotation axis. As an initial direct application, we examine the global structure of co-rotating disks for tilt angles&nbsp;<span class="math-tex">\(\beta =\)</span> 0, 45 and 90 degrees using&nbsp;<span class="math-tex">\(\zeta\)</span>&nbsp;Pup stellar parameters as a prototype. We find that for models with rapid stellar rotation (~0.7 critical rotation), accumulation surfaces closely resemble the form predicted by the analytic Rigidly Rotating Magnetosphere (RRM) model, but with a mass distribution and outer disk termination set by centrifugal breakout processes. Moreover, models&nbsp;with low stellar rotation rates show a far more variable and complex structure than simple predictions. These models can be used to synthesize rotational modulation of photometric absorption and H-alpha emission for a direct comparison with observations.</p>