Turbulence, plasma instabilities, transport and magnetogenesis in galaxy clusters
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Oxford Physics
Abstract
The clusters of galaxies are the largest structured objects in the Universe. Most of the luminous matter contained in clusters is in the form of ionised gas, or plasma (called the intracluster medium, or ICM). This plasma is believed to be in a turbulent state, i.e., it is moving in a disordered fashion. It is also permeated by tangled magnetic fields, which impart a certain elasticity to the plasma motions and also alter the motion of individual particles. All large scale processes in clusters - such as, for example, the propagation of waves and shocks, formation and movement of 'bubbles' blown by the active galaxies in cluster cores etc. - occur in this turbulent magnetised medium and are profoundly affected by it. This proposal is for an investigation of the fundamental physical properties of the ICM: what kind of turbulent motions and electromagnetic fluctuations exist in it? how is the energy of ICM motions dissipated into heat? how is heat trnasported across clusters? what is the origin and structure of magnetic fields in clusters? All these questions must be faced in order for us to be able to make sense of the rapidly increasing amount of observational evidence (obtained with radiotelescopes and with X-ray satellite observatories) and also to develop correct numerical models of clusters. More broadly, the problem of turbulence, which is at the centre of this research, is an exciting and formidable intellectual challenge, sometimes referred to as the last great unsolvedx problem of classical physics. Intertwined with the problem of magnetogenesis (the origin of cosmic magnetism), it continues to inspire both theoretical physicists and astronomers.
Organisations
Publications
Barnes M
(2009)
Linearized model Fokker-Planck collision operators for gyrokinetic simulations. II. Numerical implementation and tests
in Physics of Plasmas
Chandran B
(2015)
INTERMITTENCY AND ALIGNMENT IN STRONG RMHD TURBULENCE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Chen C
(2010)
INTERPRETING POWER ANISOTROPY MEASUREMENTS IN PLASMA TURBULENCE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Chen C
(2012)
THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE OF SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE
in The Astrophysical Journal
Chen C
(2016)
MULTI-SPECIES MEASUREMENTS OF THE FIREHOSE AND MIRROR INSTABILITY THRESHOLDS IN THE SOLAR WIND
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Chen C
(2011)
Anisotropy of Alfvénic turbulence in the solar wind and numerical simulations Anisotropy of Alfvénic turbulence
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Chen CH
(2010)
Anisotropy of solar wind turbulence between ion and electron scales.
in Physical review letters
Churazov E
(2016)
Arithmetic with X-ray images of galaxy clusters: effective equation of state for small-scale perturbations in the ICM
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Churazov E
(2012)
X-ray surface brightness and gas density fluctuations in the Coma cluster X-ray surface brightness fluctuations in the Coma cluster
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Churazov E
(2013)
Powering of cool filaments in cluster cores by buoyant bubbles - I. Qualitative model
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dapp W
(2012)
Bridging the gap: disk formation in the Class 0 phase with ambipolar diffusion and Ohmic dissipation
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
En
(2009)
Magnetic turbulence in clusters of galaxies
in Revista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica Conference Series
Enßlin T
(2010)
Magnetic turbulence in clusters of galaxies
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Forest C
(2015)
The Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory
in Journal of Plasma Physics
Heinemann T
(2011)
Large-scale magnetic field generation by randomly forced shearing waves.
in Physical review letters
Howes GG
(2011)
Gyrokinetic simulations of solar wind turbulence from ion to electron scales.
in Physical review letters
Komarov S
(2016)
Polarization of thermal bremsstrahlung emission due to electron pressure anisotropy
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Komarov S
(2016)
Thermal conduction in a mirror-unstable plasma
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Komarov S
(2014)
Suppression of local heat flux in a turbulent magnetized intracluster medium
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kunz M
(2012)
BUOYANCY INSTABILITIES IN A WEAKLY COLLISIONAL INTRACLUSTER MEDIUM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kunz M
(2011)
A thermally stable heating mechanism for the intracluster medium: turbulence, magnetic fields and plasma instabilities Thermally stable heating of the ICM
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kunz M
(2015)
Inertial-range kinetic turbulence in pressure-anisotropic astrophysical plasmas
in Journal of Plasma Physics
Kunz M
(2011)
Dynamical stability of a thermally stratified intracluster medium with anisotropic momentum and heat transport Dynamical stability of the ICM
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kunz M
(2014)
Firehose and Mirror Instabilities in a Collisionless Shearing Plasma
in Physical Review Letters
Loureiro N
(2012)
Magnetic reconnection and stochastic plasmoid chains in high-Lundquist-number plasmas
in Physics of Plasmas
Loureiro N
(2009)
Turbulent magnetic reconnection in two dimensions
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Loureiro NF
(2013)
Fast collisionless reconnection and electron heating in strongly magnetized plasmas.
in Physical review letters
Loureiro NF
(2013)
Plasmoid and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities in Sweet-Parker current sheets.
in Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics
Mallet A
(2015)
Refined critical balance in strong Alfvénic turbulence
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Mallet A
(2016)
Measures of three-dimensional anisotropy and intermittency in strong Alfvénic turbulence
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Meinecke J
(2015)
Developed turbulence and nonlinear amplification of magnetic fields in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Meinecke J
(2014)
Turbulent amplification of magnetic fields in laboratory laser-produced shock waves
in Nature Physics
Melville S
(2016)
Pressure-anisotropy-driven microturbulence and magnetic-field evolution in shearing, collisionless plasma
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mogavero F
(2014)
Models of magnetic field evolution and effective viscosity in weakly collisional extragalactic plasmas
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
NAZARENKO S
(2011)
Critical balance in magnetohydrodynamic, rotating and stratified turbulence: towards a universal scaling conjecture
in Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Oliver M
(2017)
Magneto-optic probe measurements in low density-supersonic jets
in Journal of Instrumentation
PLUNK G
(2010)
Two-dimensional gyrokinetic turbulence
in Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Plunk G
(2009)
Two-dimensional gyrokinetic turbulence
Reynolds C
(2015)
INEFFICIENT DRIVING OF BULK TURBULENCE BY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI IN A HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL OF THE INTRACLUSTER MEDIUM
in The Astrophysical Journal
Rincon F
(2016)
Turbulent dynamo in a collisionless plasma.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Rincon F
(2015)
Non-linear mirror instability
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Rosin M
(2011)
A non-linear theory of the parallel firehose and gyrothermal instabilities in a weakly collisional plasma Theory of firehose and gyrothermal instabilities
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Samtaney R
(2009)
Formation of plasmoid chains in magnetic reconnection.
in Physical review letters
Samtaney R.
(2012)
Plasmoid dynamics in 3D resistive MHD simulations of magnetic reconnection
in EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
Sanders JS
(2013)
Linear structures in the core of the Coma cluster of galaxies.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Schekochihin A
(2009)
ASTROPHYSICAL GYROKINETICS: KINETIC AND FLUID TURBULENT CASCADES IN MAGNETIZED WEAKLY COLLISIONAL PLASMAS
in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Schekochihin A
(2010)
Magnetofluid dynamics of magnetized cosmic plasma: firehose and gyrothermal instabilities
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
| Description | The publication list reflects the key findings. |
| Exploitation Route | Some theories and methods that were developed carry over to bordering disciplines and areas of activity, most importantly magnetic fusion research. |
| Sectors | Energy |