| Abstract: | The magnetic activity of solar-type stars generally increases with stellar rotation rate. The increase, however, saturates for fast rotation. The Babcock-Leighton mechanism of stellar dynamos saturates as well when the mean tilt angle of active regions approaches ninety degrees. Saturation of magnetic activity may be a consequence of this property of the Babcock-Leighton mechanism. Stellar dynamo models with a tilt angle proportional to the rotation rate are constructed to probe this idea.Two versions of the model- treating the tilt angles globally and using Joy's law for its latitude dependence- are considered. Both models show a saturation of dynamogenerated magnetic flux at high rotation rates. The model with latitude-dependent tilt angles also shows a change in dynamo regime in the saturation region. The new regime combines a cyclic dynamo at low latitudes with an(almost) steady polar dynamo. |
