Zeeman Doppler Imaging of τ Ceti: The Weakest Magnetic Field Detected in a Sun-like Star

Abstract

For nearly a decade, observations have shown that many older Sun-like stars spin faster than predicted, a phenomenon known as weakened magnetic braking (WMB). The leading hypothesis for WMB is a weakening of the large-scale dipole field, which leads to a less efficient angular momentum loss. To test this hypothesis on a star known to be in the WMB regime, we present the first Zeeman Doppler imaging (ZDI) map of the Sun-like star τ Ceti, reconstructed using spectropolarimetric data from the Canada–France–Hawai‘i Telescope. Our ZDI analysis reveals a remarkably simple, stable, and weak (〈B〉 = 0.17 G) magnetic field, characterized by a predominantly dipolar (∼92% magnetic energy contained in l = 1 modes), and highly axisymmetric (∼88% magnetic energy contained in m < l/2 modes) morphology. We infer a dipole field strength of Bdip = 0.31 G, nearly an order of magnitude weaker than standard braking model predictions, providing direct confirmation of the weakened large-scale dipole predicted by the WMB hypothesis. This work establishes a new benchmark for ZDI, demonstrating that even extremely quiet stars in the WMB regime are accessible to this technique.