On the spatial and temporal non-locality of dynamo mean-field effects in supersonic interstellar turbulence. Issue 1 (9th March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gressel, Oliver; Elstner, Detlef
• Is Part Of: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Volume 494:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 1180
• Page End: 1188
• Publication Date: 2020-03-09
• Subjects: MHD -- turbulence -- methods: numerical -- galaxies: magnetic fields; Astronomy -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 520.5
• DOI: 10.1093/mnras/staa663
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0035-8711

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The interstellar medium (ISM) of the Milky Way and nearby disc galaxies harbour large-scale coherent magnetic fields of microgauss strength, that can be explained via the action of a mean-field dynamo. As in our previous work, we aim to quantify dynamo effects that are self-consistently emerging in realistic direct magnetohydrodynamic simulations, but we generalize our approach to the case of a non-local (non-instantaneous) closure relation, described by a convolution integral in space (time). To this end, we leverage our comprehensive simulation framework for the supernova-regulated turbulent multiphase ISM. By introducing spatially (temporally) modulated mean fields, we extend the previously used test-field method to the spectral realm – providing the Fourier representation of the convolution kernels. The resulting spectra of the dynamo mean-field coefficients that we obtain broadly match expectations and allow to rigorously constrain the degree of scale separation in the Galactic dynamo. A surprising result is found for the diamagnetic pumping term, which increases in amplitude when going to smaller scales. Our results amount to the most comprehensive description of dynamo mean-field effects in the Galactic context to date. Surveying the relevant parameter space and quenching behaviour, this will ultimately enable the development of assumption-free subgrid prescriptions for otherwise unresolved global galaxy simulations.