THE ORIGIN OF RADIALLY ALIGNED MAGNETIC FIELDS IN YOUNG SUPERNOVA REMNANTS

Journal Article · Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/772/2/L20· OSTI ID:22140328

Inoue, Tsuyoshi; Shimoda, Jiro; Ohira, Yutaka; Yamazaki, Ryo ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and Mathematics, Aoyama-Gakuin University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5258 (Japan)

It has been suggested by radio observations of polarized synchrotron emissions that downstream magnetic fields in some young supernova remnants (SNRs) are oriented radially. We study the magnetic field distribution of turbulent SNRs driven by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI)-in other words, the effect of rippled shock-by using three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulations. We find that the induced turbulence has radially biased anisotropic velocity dispersion that leads to a selective amplification of the radial component of the magnetic field. The RMI is induced by the interaction between the shock and upstream density fluctuations. Future high-resolution polarization observations can distinguish the following candidates responsible for the upstream density fluctuations: (1) inhomogeneity caused by the cascade of large-scale turbulence in the interstellar medium, the so-called big power-law in the sky; (2) structures generated by the Drury instability in the cosmic-ray modified shock; and (3) fluctuations induced by the nonlinear feedback of the cosmic-ray streaming instability.

• OSTI ID: 22140328
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 772, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
AMPLIFICATION
ANISOTROPY
COSMIC RADIATION
DENSITY
DISPERSIONS
DISTRIBUTION
FEEDBACK
FLUCTUATIONS
INSTABILITY
INTERACTIONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
POLARIZATION
RESOLUTION
SHOCK WAVES
SIMULATION
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS
SYNCHROTRONS
TURBULENCE