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Zoe Graystone
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Stellar Angular Momentum as a Tracer of Galactic Star-Formation History
A study of stars above the Kraft break in the Kepler field whose rotational angular momentum, largely unchanged since the zero-age main sequence, records the properties of their parental molecular clouds. For stars between 1.4 and 1.8 solar masses the angular momentum is found to be inversely proportional to isochrone age, implying that stars formed later in the Milky Way's history carry more rotational angular momentum. The trend is read as tracing changes in the Galactic star-forming environment and as a mechanism that promotes pre-main-sequence fragmentation and suppresses massive-star formation, bearing on the initial mass function.