Turbulent Dynamo and Magnetic Fields in the Multiphase Interstellar Medium

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the multiphase structure of the interstellar medium influences magnetic fields using numerical simulations, with implications for future radio polarization observations of galaxies.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the relationship between ISM phases and magnetic field configurations through detailed numerical simulations.

Findings

Magnetic field strength varies across ISM phases.

Simulations suggest phase-dependent magnetic field structures.

Results inform interpretation of polarization data from radio telescopes.

Abstract

Even though the interstellar medium (ISM) of star-forming galaxies has been known to have a multiphase structure (broadly hot, warm, and cold phases) since the 1970s, how magnetic fields differ between the ISM phases is still unknown. Using results from numerical simulations, this work explores how the multiphase nature of the ISM shapes magnetic fields and then discusses possible implications of those results for polarisation observations of the Milky Way and high-redshift galaxies. These findings will enhance our understanding of the role of magnetic fields in galaxy evolution and prepare us to harness the upcoming wealth of radio polarisation data from the Square Kilometre Array and its pathfinders.