The strength and structure of the magnetic field in the galactic outflow of M82

TL;DR

This study measures and models the magnetic field structure in M82's galactic outflow, revealing a combination of large-scale ordered and small-scale turbulent fields that influence the intergalactic medium.

Contribution

It introduces a modified Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method to analyze magnetic fields in galactic outflows, providing new insights into their structure and energy distribution.

Findings

Magnetic fields in M82's outflow are a mix of ordered and turbulent components.

Median magnetic field strengths are approximately 305 μG (large-scale) and 222 μG (small-scale).

Turbulent kinetic and magnetic energies are in equipartition up to 2 kpc, then kinetic dominates.

Abstract

Galactic outflows driven by starbursts can modify the galactic magnetic fields and drive them away from the galactic planes. Here, we quantify how these fields may magnetize the intergalactic medium. We estimate the strength and structure of the fields in the starburst galaxy M82 using thermal polarized emission observations from SOFIA/HAWC+ and a potential field extrapolation commonly used in solar physics. We modified the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method to account for the large-scale flow and the turbulent field. Results show that the observed magnetic fields arise from the combination of a large-scale ordered potential field associated with the outflow and a small-scale turbulent field associated with bow-shock-like features. Within the central $900$ pc radius, the large-scale field accounts for $53\pm4$% of the observed turbulent magnetic energy with a median field strength of $305\pm15$ $\mu$G, while small-scale turbulent magnetic fields account for the remaining $40\pm5$% with a median field strength of $222\pm19$ $\mu$G. We estimate that the turbulent kinetic and turbulent magnetic energies are in close equipartition up to $\sim2$ kpc (measured), while the turbulent kinetic energy dominates at $\sim7$ kpc (extrapolated). We conclude that the fields are frozen into the ionized outflowing medium and driven away kinetically. The magnetic field lines in the galactic wind of M82 are `open,' providing a direct channel between the starburst core and the intergalactic medium. Our novel approach offers the tools needed to quantify the effects of outflows on galactic magnetic fields as well as their influence on the intergalactic medium and evolution of energetic particles.