Turbulent magnetic fields in merging clusters: a case study of Abell 2146

Chadayammuri, Urmila; ZuHone, John; Nulsen, Paul; Nagai, Daisuke; Russell, Helen

Abstract

Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities (KHI) along contact discontinuities in galaxy clusters have been used to constrain the strength of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters, following the assumption that, as magnetic field lines drape around the interface between the cold and hot phases, their magnetic tension resists the growth of perturbations. This has been observed in simulations of rigid objects moving through magnetized media and sloshing galaxy clusters, and then applied in interpreting observations of merger cold fronts. Using a suite of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of binary cluster mergers, we show that even magnetic field strengths stronger than yet observed (β = Pth/PB = 50) show visible KHI features. This is because our initial magnetic field is tangled, producing AlfvCrossed D sign

Citation

Chadayammuri, U., ZuHone, J., Nulsen, P., Nagai, D., & Russell, H. (2022). Turbulent magnetic fields in merging clusters: a case study of Abell 2146. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 512(2), 2157-2170. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac594

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 1, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Mar 4, 2022
• Publication Date: May 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jul 4, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 4, 2022
• Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• Print ISSN: 0035-8711
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-2966
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 512
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 2157-2170
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac594
• Keywords: Space and Planetary Science; Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/8217894
• Publisher URL: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/512/2/2157/6542455