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This research examines how main-sequence stars are distributed based on their rotational velocities and temperature.

July 15, 2026Galaxies0 citationsOpen Access

Distribution of Stars by Rotational Velocities from Spectroscopic Data

NKNikolai KondratevLomonosov Moscow State University EMEkaterina MalikInstitute of Astronomy ASArseniy SachkovLomonosov Moscow State University

Key Points

This research examines how main-sequence stars are distributed based on their rotational velocities and temperature.
Analyzed 73,340 GALAH, 21,654 APOGEE, and 2262 Glebocki stars using spectroscopic data.
Focused on stars within a temperature range of 3500–8000 K, assessing vsini distributions in 500 K bins.
Determined the magnetic braking index for solar-type stars in relation to the Skumanich law.
Distributions of rotational velocities follow a power law with a temperature-dependent exponent.
The analysis showed a systematic variation of the exponent with temperature across bins.
The magnetic braking index q aligns with predictions from the Skumanich law.

Abstract

In this paper, we study the distribution of main-sequence stars over rotational velocities as a function of effective temperature. Using spectroscopic surveys, and after selecting main-sequence stars and retaining only high-quality data, we obtain a sample of 73,340 GALAH objects, 21,654 APOGEE objects, and 2262 Glebocki objects. For stars in the broad temperature range of 3500–8000 K, we analyse the vsini distributions in narrow 500 K bins, and find that in each bin the distribution follows a power law with the exponent varying systematically with temperature. For solar-type stars, the obtained magnetic braking index q is consistent with the Skumanich law.

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