Measurements of magnetic fields in Herbig Ae/Be stars and stars with debris disks at the VLT 8-m telescope: statistical results of our long-term program

We present the results of magnetic field measurements for a sample of 23 young Herbig Ae/Be (HAEBEs) stars and 12 stars with debris disks. The spectropolarimetric data were obtained during four observing runs in 2003-2008 at the European Southern Observatory with the multi-mode instrument FORS 1 installed at the 8 m Kueyen telescope. Among the 23 HAEBEs studied, stellar magnetic fields of about 100-150G have been detected in 11 stars (i.e. ~50%). The presence of circumstellar polarization signatures formed in the stellar wind supports the assumption that the magnetic centrifuge is one of the main mechanisms of the wind acceleration. No field detection at a significance level of 3σ was achieved in stars with debris disks.