Structured Turbulence, Collisionless Dynamics and Magnetic Field Generation in Astrophysical Plasmas

星际磁场在星系中的各种重要过程中发挥着核心作用，特别是在恒星形成和分子云的演化过程中。然而，人们对银河系磁场的起源知之甚少。该项目正在对星系中磁场的起源和演化进行数值研究，以确定它们的强度和几何形状如何随着时间的推移而变化，以应对诸如超新星和恒星形成等小尺度扰动以及诸如星系尺度吸积和差动旋转等大尺度扰动的综合影响。该项目的目标包括了解为什么我们银河系的磁场经历了从银盘中相对较弱的方位场到银河系中心较强的偶极场的转变。将探索过渡区的详细性质，特别侧重于过渡区的稳定性以及磁场和个别云之间的相互作用。该项目的资金由NSF河外天文与宇宙学计划(AST/EXC)提供。*

AST 0098670McWilliamsInterstellar magnetic fields play a central role in a variety of important processes in galaxies, notably in star formation and the evolution of molecular clouds. Yet the origin of galactic magnetic fields is poorly understood. This project is conducting numerical studies of the origin and evolution of magnetic fields in galaxies in order to determine how their strength and geometry change over time in response to the combined effects of small-scale disturbances such as supernovae and star formation and large-scale disturbances such as galactic-scale accretion and differential rotation. The project's goals include understanding why the field in our Galaxy undergoes a transition from a relatively weak azimuthal field in the Galactic disk to a strong, dipole field at the Galactic center. The detailed nature of the transition zone will be explored, with particular focus on the stability of the transition and the interplay between the magnetic field and individual clouds. Funding for this project was provided by the NSF program for Extragalactic Astronomy & Cosmology (AST/EXC).***