Stellar Spin and Spots with Roman

Rotation and star spots reveal insights to the magnetic lives of stars. Stars less massive than the Sun experience magnetic braking, slowing their rotation as they age. This spin-down should allow us to estimate ages from rotation, but everything we know about rotational braking comes from nearby stars. Rotation measurements are needed for populations of stars with different composition and age distributions to probe the fundamental nature of spin-down. Roman's time domain surveys will enable rotation period measurements for hundreds of thousands of stars in new parts of the Galaxy, and time series at multiple wavelengths will provide insights into magnetic star spots at unprecedented numbers and precision. Our team is conducting survey simulations to determine the number and regimes of rotation periods and spots that Roman will be sensitive to. I will discuss our simulation strategy and the goals that drive it, as well as how Roman's survey design choices will affect our sensitivity to rotation and spots.

Speaker: ​Zachary Claytor (University of Florida)

The Roman Lecture Series is a monthly virtual lecture series focused on the scientific capabilities and technology of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, organized by Roman mission partners.