Rotation, Emission, & Evolution of the Magnetic Early B-type Stars

We report the results of the first population study of 51 magnetic early B-type stars, based upon a large database of high-resolution spectropolarimetry assembled by the MiMeS and BinaMIcS collaborations. Utilizing these data, rotational periods were determined for all but 5 of the sample stars. This enabled us to determine dipole oblique rotator model parameters, rotational parameters, and magnetospheric parameters. We find that the ratio of the Alfvén radius to the Kepler corotation radius is highly predictive of whether or not a star displays Hα emission from a Centrifugal Magnetosphere (CM), as expected from theoretical considerations. We also find that CM host stars are systematically younger than the general population, as expected given that CM emission requires rapid rotation and a strong magnetic field, and a strong magnetic field will lead to rapid magnetic braking. We conclude that emission-line magnetic early B-type stars are, almost without exception, strongly magnetized, rapidly rotating, and young.