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Magneto-convective models of red dwarfs: constraints imposed by the lithium abundance

Magnetic fields impede the onset of convection, thereby altering the thermal structure of a convective envelope in a low mass star: this has an effect on the amount of lithium depletion in a magnetized star. In order to quantify this effect, we have applied a magneto-convective model to two low mass stars for which lithium abundances and precise structural parameters are known: YY Gem and CU Cnc. For both stars, we have obtained models which satisfy empirical constraints on the following parameters: R, L, surface magnetic field strength, and Li abundance. In the case of YY Gem, we have obtained a model which satisfies the empirical constraints with an internal magnetic field of several megagauss: such a field strength is within the range of a dynamo where the field energy is in equipartition with rotational energy deep inside the convection zone. However, in the case of CU Cnc, the Li requires an internal magnetic field which is probably too strong for a dynamo origin: we suggest possible alternatives which might account for the reported Li abundance in CU Cnc.