Testing the cosmological evolution of magnetic fields in galaxies with the SKA

TL;DR

This paper models the evolution of galactic magnetic fields over cosmic time using simulations and dynamo theory, predicting observable magnetic structures in galaxies with the SKA at different redshifts.

Contribution

It introduces an evolutionary model linking galaxy formation with magnetic field development, incorporating turbulence-driven dynamo processes and making predictions for SKA observations.

Findings

Undisturbed dwarf galaxies host coherent fields at z<1

Spiral galaxies develop ordered fields by z<0.5

Predicts an anticorrelation between galaxy size and magnetic ordering at fixed redshift

Abstract

We investigate the cosmological evolution of large- and small-scale magnetic fields in galaxies at high redshifts. Results from simulations of hierarchical structure formation cosmology provide a tool to develop an evolutionary model of regular magnetic fields coupled to galaxy formation and evolution. Turbulence in protogalactic halos generated by thermal virialization can drive an efficient turbulent dynamo. The mean-field dynamo theory is used to derive the timescales of amplification and ordering of regular magnetic fields in disk and dwarf galaxies. For future observations with the SKA, we predict an anticorrelation at fixed redshift between galaxy size and the ratio between ordering scale and galaxy size. Undisturbed dwarf galaxies should host fully coherent fields at z<1, spiral galaxies at z<0.5.