No Arabic abstract
We study the magnetic field evolution of an isolated spiral galaxy, using isolated Milky Way-mass galaxy formation simulations and a novel prescription for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) supernova feedback. Our main result is that a galactic dynamo can be seeded and driven by supernova explosions, resulting in magnetic fields whose strength and morphology is consistent with observations. In our model, supernovae supply thermal energy, and a low level magnetic field along with their ejecta. The thermal expansion drives turbulence, which serves a dual role by efficiently mixing the magnetic field into the interstellar medium, and amplifying it by means of turbulent dynamo. The computational prescription for MHD supernova feedback has been implemented within the publicly available ENZO code, and is fully described in this paper. This improves upon ENZOs existing modules for hydrodynamic feedback from stars and active galaxies. We find that the field attains $mu G$-levels over Gyr-time scales throughout the disk. The field also develops large-scale structure, which appears to be correlated with the disks spiral arm density structure. We find that seeding of the galactic dynamo by supernova ejecta predicts a persistent correlation between gas metallicity and magnetic field strength. We also generate all-sky maps of the Faraday rotation measure from the simulation-predicted magnetic field, and present a direct comparison with observations.
Supernovae are known to be the dominant energy source for driving turbulence in the interstellar medium. Yet, their effect on magnetic field amplification in spiral galaxies is still poorly understood. Previous analytical models, based on the evolution of isolated, non-interacting supernova remnants, predicted a dominant vertical pumping that would render dynamo action improbable. In the present work, we address the issue of vertical transport, which is thought to be the key process that inhibits dynamo action in the galactic context. We aim to demonstrate that supernova driving is a powerful mechanism to amplify galactic magnetic fields. We conduct direct numerical simulations in the framework of resistive magnetohydrodynamics. Our local box model of the interstellar medium comprises optically-thin radiative cooling, an external gravitational potential, and background shear. Dynamo coefficients for mean-field models are measured by means of passive test fields. Our simulations show that supernova-driven turbulence in conjunction with shear leads to an exponential amplification of the mean magnetic field. We found turbulent pumping to be directed inward and approximately balanced by a galactic wind.
The fractal shape and multi-component nature of the interstellar medium together with its vast range of dynamical scales provides one of the great challenges in theoretical and numerical astrophysics. Here we will review recent progress in the direct modelling of interstellar hydromagnetic turbulence, focusing on the role of energy injection by supernova explosions. The implications for dynamo theory will be discussed in the context of the mean-field approach. Results obtained with the test field-method are confronted with analytical predictions and estimates from quasilinear theory. The simulation results enforce the classical understanding of a turbulent Galactic dynamo and, more importantly, yield new quantitative insights. The derived scaling relations enable confident global mean-field modelling.
We study various implementations of supernova feedback model and present the results of our `Osaka feedback model using isolated galaxy simulations performed by the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code {small GADGET-3}. Our model is a modified version of Stinson et al.s work, and we newly add the momentum kick for SN feedback rather than only thermal feedback. We incorporate the physical properties of SN remnants from the results of Chevalier and McKee & Ostriker, such as the effective radius of SN bubble and the remnant life-time, in the form of Sedov-Taylor (ST)-like solutions with the effect of radiative cooling. Our model utilizes the local, physical parameters such as density and temperature of the ISM rather than galactic or halo properties to determine the galactic wind velocity or mass-loading factor. The Osaka model succeeds in self-regulating star formation, and naturally produces galactic outflow with variable velocities depending on the local environment and available SN energy as a function of time.An important addition to our previous work by Aoyama et al. is the implementation of the {small CELib} chemistry library which allows us to deal with the time-dependent input of energy and metal yields for type Ia & II supernovae (SNe) and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. As initial tests of our model, we apply it to isolated galaxy simulations, and examine various galactic properties and compare with observational data including metal abundances.
We present the first ab initio cosmological simulations of a CR7-like object which approximately reproduce the observed line widths and strengths. In our model, CR7 is powered by a massive ($3.23 times 10^7$ $M_odot$) black hole (BH) the accretion rate of which varies between $simeq$ 0.25 and $simeq$ 0.9 times the Eddington rate on timescales as short as 10$^3$ yr. Our model takes into account multi-dimensional effects, X-ray feedback, secondary ionizations and primordial chemistry. We estimate Ly-$alpha$ line widths by post-processing simulation output with Monte Carlo radiative transfer and calculate emissivity contributions from radiative recombination and collisional excitation. We find the luminosities in the Lyman-$alpha$ and He II 1640 angstrom lines to be $5.0times10^{44}$ and $2.4times10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$, respectively, in agreement with the observed values of $>$ $8.3times10^{43}$ and $2.0times10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$. We also find that the black hole heats the halo and renders it unable to produce stars as required to keep the halo metal free. These results demonstrate the viability of the BH hypothesis for CR7 in a cosmological context. Assuming the BH mass and accretion rate that we find, we estimate the synchrotron luminosity of CR7 to be $P simeq 10^{40} - 10^{41}$ erg s$^{-1}$, which is sufficiently luminous to be observed in $mu$Jy observations and would discriminate this scenario from one where the luminosity is driven by Population III stars.
Supernovae are the dominant energy source for driving turbulence within the interstellar plasma. Until recently, their effects on magnetic field amplification in disk galaxies remained a matter of speculation. By means of self-consistent simulations of supernova-driven turbulence, we find an exponential amplification of the mean magnetic field on timescales of a few hundred million years. The robustness of the observed fast dynamo is checked at different magnetic Reynolds numbers, and we find sustained dynamo action at moderate Rm. This indicates that the mechanism might indeed be of relevance for the real ISM. Sensing the flow via passive tracer fields, we infer that SNe produce a turbulent alpha effect which is consistent with the predictions of quasilinear theory. To lay a foundation for global mean-field models, we aim to explore the scaling of the dynamo tensors with respect to the key parameters of our simulations. Here we give a first account on the variation with the supernova rate.