Detection of an extremely strong magnetic field in the double-degenerate binary merger product HD 144941

HD 144941 is an extreme He (EHe) star, a rare class of subdwarf OB star formed from the merger of two white dwarf (WD) stars. Uniquely amongst EHe stars, its lightcurve has been reported to be modulated entirely by rotation, suggesting the presence of a magnetic field. Here we report the first high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of HD 144941, in which we detect an extremely strong magnetic field both in circular polarization (with a line-of-sight magnetic field averaged over the stellar disk〈Bz〉 ∼ −8 kG) and in Zeeman splitting of spectral lines (yielding a magnetic modulus of〈B〉 ∼17 kG). We also report for the first time weak Hαemission consistent with an origin an a Centrifugal Magnetosphere (CM). HD 144941’s atmospheric parameters could be consistent with either a subdwarf or a main sequence (MS) star, and its surface abundances are neither similar to other EHe stars nor to He-strong magnetic stars. However, its Hαemission properties can only be reproduced if its mass is around 1 M⊙, indicating that it must be a post-MS object. Since there is no indication of binarity, it is unlikely to be a stripped star, and was therefore most likely produced in a WD merger. HD 144941 is therefore further evidence that mergers area viable pathway for the generation of fossil magnetic fields.