Investigation of the Radial Profile of Galactic Magnetic Fields using Rotation Measure of Background Quasars

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Main Authors: Burman, Shivam, Sharma, Paras, Malik, Sunil, Singh, Suprit
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Burman, Shivam
Sharma, Paras
Malik, Sunil
Singh, Suprit
author_facet Burman, Shivam
Sharma, Paras
Malik, Sunil
Singh, Suprit
contents Probing magnetic fields in high-redshift galactic systems is crucial to investigate galactic dynamics and evolution. Utilizing the rotation measure of the background quasars, we have developed a radial profile of the magnetic field in a typical high-$z$ galaxy. We have compiled a catalog of 59 confirmed quasar sightlines, having one intervening Mg \rom{2} absorber in the redshift range $0.372\leq z_{\text{abs}} \leq 0.8$. The presence of the foreground galaxy is ensured by comparing the photometric and spectroscopic redshifts within $3 σ_{z-\text{photo}}$ and visual checks. These quasar line-of-sights (LoS) pass through various impact parameters (D) up to $160$ kpc, covering the circumgalactic medium of a typical Milky-Way type galaxy. Utilizing the residual rotation measure (RRM) of these sightlines, we estimated the excess in RRM dispersion, $σ_{\text{ex}}^{\text{RRM}}$. We found $σ_{\text{ex}}^{\text{RRM}}$ decreases with increasing D. We translated $σ_{\text{ex}}^{\text{RRM}}$ to average LoS magnetic field strength, $\langle B_{\|}\rangle$ by considering a typical electron column density. Consequently, the decreasing trend is sustained in the magnetic field. In particular for sightlines with $\text{D} \leq 50$ kpc and $\text{D} > 50$ kpc, $\langle B_{\|}\rangle$ is found to be $2.39 \pm 0.7 \ μ$G and $1.67 \pm 0.38 \ μ$G, respectively. This suggests a clear indication of varying magnetic field from the disk to the circumgalactic medium. This work provides a methodology that, when applied to ongoing and future radio polarisation surveys such as LOFAR and SKA, promises to significantly enhance our understanding of magnetic field mapping in galactic systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_09623
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Investigation of the Radial Profile of Galactic Magnetic Fields using Rotation Measure of Background Quasars
Burman, Shivam
Sharma, Paras
Malik, Sunil
Singh, Suprit
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Probing magnetic fields in high-redshift galactic systems is crucial to investigate galactic dynamics and evolution. Utilizing the rotation measure of the background quasars, we have developed a radial profile of the magnetic field in a typical high-$z$ galaxy. We have compiled a catalog of 59 confirmed quasar sightlines, having one intervening Mg \rom{2} absorber in the redshift range $0.372\leq z_{\text{abs}} \leq 0.8$. The presence of the foreground galaxy is ensured by comparing the photometric and spectroscopic redshifts within $3 σ_{z-\text{photo}}$ and visual checks. These quasar line-of-sights (LoS) pass through various impact parameters (D) up to $160$ kpc, covering the circumgalactic medium of a typical Milky-Way type galaxy. Utilizing the residual rotation measure (RRM) of these sightlines, we estimated the excess in RRM dispersion, $σ_{\text{ex}}^{\text{RRM}}$. We found $σ_{\text{ex}}^{\text{RRM}}$ decreases with increasing D. We translated $σ_{\text{ex}}^{\text{RRM}}$ to average LoS magnetic field strength, $\langle B_{\|}\rangle$ by considering a typical electron column density. Consequently, the decreasing trend is sustained in the magnetic field. In particular for sightlines with $\text{D} \leq 50$ kpc and $\text{D} > 50$ kpc, $\langle B_{\|}\rangle$ is found to be $2.39 \pm 0.7 \ μ$G and $1.67 \pm 0.38 \ μ$G, respectively. This suggests a clear indication of varying magnetic field from the disk to the circumgalactic medium. This work provides a methodology that, when applied to ongoing and future radio polarisation surveys such as LOFAR and SKA, promises to significantly enhance our understanding of magnetic field mapping in galactic systems.
title Investigation of the Radial Profile of Galactic Magnetic Fields using Rotation Measure of Background Quasars
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.09623