Abstract

Contributed Talk - Splinter Magnetic

Thursday, 24 September 2020, 12:26   (virtual room H)

Studying Magnetic Field Amplification in Interacting Galaxies Using Numerical Simulations

Simon Selg, Wolfram Schmidt
both Universität Hamburg, Hamburger Sternwarte

Studies suggest that the evolution of magnetic fields in galaxies might be coupled to an interplay between both galactic (internal) dynamics and an exchange with the surrounding intergalactic medium, thus resulting in the amplification of primordial fields by several orders of magnitude. Additionally, there are indications that the magnetic field evolution in galaxies might be -- at least on limited time scales -- massively shaped by tidal interactions and mergers between galaxies. The details of the connection between the evolution of the magnetic field and that of its host galaxies ist still a matter of research. What are the processes that govern the observed amplification of the magnetic field within interacting galaxies? In this talk I present preliminary results of my ongoing research as a phd student. By doing simulations of interacting magnetized gas disks that are embedded in particle dark halos we try to shed more light at the underlying details of magnetic field amplification in interacting galaxies. Using Enzo we combine the computation of fluid dynamics on a numerical grid with n-body techniques to account for the dark matter halos. This strategy enables us to make use of subgrid-scale models which allow us to study the possible operation of small scale dynamos during the collision and offer a straightforward future extension of our galaxy model with regard to star formation, various feedback models and chemistry. We study the influence of initial conditions with special regard to the relative spatial orientation of two colliding galaxies and their mass ratios on the evolution of the magnetic field and investigate e.g. how dynamo processes might contribute.