On the Axial Rotation and Spectra of Stars

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Abstract
Struve's remarkable relation between high observed axial rotations of stars and their bright line spectra is considered theoretically. It is shown that the two phenomena are closely related to the same electromagnetic effects that account for the anomalous solar rotation. High electromagnetic winds, resulting from crossed electric and magnetic fields, account for the high apparent rotational velocity and transfer sufficient momentum to the star in the course of stellar time to account for the high true rotations necessary to produce fission. The large electromagnetic wind velocities require the presence of comparatively large radial electric fields and it is shown that these can add sufficient additional excitation energy to the atmospheric ions to produce bright line spectra. Thus, high apparent axial rotations, high true rotations and bright line spectra in stars are intimately related and the existence of one, usually demands the presence of the others. An approximate expression is derived for the time rate of increase of angular momentum in a star.

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