Magnetic Models Can Not Explain The Blazhko Effect in RR Lyrae Stars

We report a new series of high-precision Stokes V profiles and longitudinal magnetic field measurements of RR Lyrae, obtained with the MuSiCoS spectropolarimeter over a period of four years. These data provide no evidence whatsoever for a strong magnetic field in the photosphere of RRLyrae, which is consistent with Preston’s (1967) results, but inconsistent with apparent magnetic field detections by Babcock (1958) and Romanov et al. (1987, 1994). Following discussion of these disparate results, we conclude that RR Lyrae is a bona fide non-magnetic star, a conclusion which leads to the general falsification of models of the Blazkho effect requiring strong photospheric magnetic fields.