A Subgrid Turbulent Mean Field Dynamo Model for Cosmological Galaxy Formation Simulations

Abstract

Magnetic fields have been included in cosmological simulations of galaxy formation only recently, due to advances in numerical techniques and a better understanding of the galaxy formation physics. In this paper, we develop a new subgrid model for the turbulent dynamo that takes place in the supersonic interstellar medium in star-forming galaxies. It is based on a mean-field approach that computes the turbulent kinetic energy at unresolved scales (the so-called subgrid scales) and modifies the induction equation to account for the corresponding $α$ dynamo. Our subgrid model depends on one free parameter, the quenching parameter, that controls the saturation of the subgrid dynamo. Thanks to this mean-field approach, we can now model the fast amplification of the magnetic field inside turbulent star-forming galaxies, without relying on artificially strong initial fields or without using prohibitively expensive high-resolution simulations. We show that the evolution of the magnetic field in our zoom-in Milky Way-like galaxy is consistent with a simple picture, in which the field is in equipartition with the turbulent kinetic energy inside the star-forming disc, with a field strength around 10 $μ$G at low redshift, while at the same time strong galactic outflows fill the halo with a slightly weaker magnetic field, whose strength (10 nG) is consistent will the ideal MHD dilution factor. Our results are in good agreement with recent theoretical and numerical predictions. We also compare our simulation with Faraday depth observations at both low and high redshift, seeing overall good agreement with some caveats. Our model naturally predicts stronger magnetic fields at high redshift (around 100 $μ$G in the galaxy and 1 $μ$G in the halo), but also stronger depolarisation effects due to stronger turbulence at early time.