A complete 3D numerical study of the effects of pseudoscalar-photon mixing on quasar polarizations

TL;DR

This study uses 3D simulations to explore how pseudoscalar-photon mixing in the intergalactic medium could explain large-scale quasar polarization alignments, supporting a primordial magnetic field origin.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive 3D numerical analysis of pseudoscalar-photon mixing effects on quasar polarization, linking theory with observations within big bang cosmology.

Findings

Simulation results fit observed polarization data well

Pseudoscalar-photon mixing can produce large-scale polarization alignments

Primordial magnetic fields may explain observed phenomena

Abstract

We present the results of three-dimensional simulations of quasar polarizations in the presence of pseudoscalar-photon mixing in the intergalactic medium. The intergalactic magnetic field is assumed to be uncorrelated in wave vector space but correlated in real space. Such a field may be obtained if its origin is primordial. Furthermore we assume that the quasars, located at cosmological distances, have negligible initial polarization. In the presence of pseudoscalar-photon mixing we show, through a direct comparison with observations, that this may explain the observed large scale alignments in quasar polarizations within the framework of big bang cosmology. We find that the simulation results give a reasonably good fit to the observed data.