Discovery of Magnetic Fields in Slowly Pulsating B Stars

Abstract

We present the first observations and conclusions of a magnetic survey with FORS 1 at the VLT of a sample of 25 Slowly Pulsating B stars. A clear mean longitudinal magnetic field of the order of a few hundred Gauss was detected in eleven SPBs. Among them several SPBs show a magnetic field that varies in time. It becomes clear that SPBs cannot be regarded anymore as non-magnetic stars