Probing the Magnetised Gas Distribution in Galaxy Groups and the Cosmic Web with POSSUM Faraday Rotation Measures

Fuente: arXiv
Salvato in:
Dettagli Bibliografici
Autori principali: Anderson, Craig S., McClure-Griffiths, N. M., Rudnick, L., Gaensler, B. M., O'Sullivan, S. P., Bradbury, S., Akahori, T., Baidoo, L., Bruggen, M., Carretti, E., Duchesne, S., Heald, G., Jung, S. L., Kaczmarek, J., Leahy, D., Loi, F., Ma, Y. K., Osinga, E., Seta, A., Stuardi, C., Thomson, A. J. M., Van Eck, C., Vernstrom, T., West, J.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
Soggetti:
Accesso online:
Tags: Aggiungi Tag
Nessun Tag, puoi essere il primo ad aggiungerne!!
_version_ 1866911971434037248
author Anderson, Craig S.
McClure-Griffiths, N. M.
Rudnick, L.
Gaensler, B. M.
O'Sullivan, S. P.
Bradbury, S.
Akahori, T.
Baidoo, L.
Bruggen, M.
Carretti, E.
Duchesne, S.
Heald, G.
Jung, S. L.
Kaczmarek, J.
Leahy, D.
Loi, F.
Ma, Y. K.
Osinga, E.
Seta, A.
Stuardi, C.
Thomson, A. J. M.
Van Eck, C.
Vernstrom, T.
West, J.
author_facet Anderson, Craig S.
McClure-Griffiths, N. M.
Rudnick, L.
Gaensler, B. M.
O'Sullivan, S. P.
Bradbury, S.
Akahori, T.
Baidoo, L.
Bruggen, M.
Carretti, E.
Duchesne, S.
Heald, G.
Jung, S. L.
Kaczmarek, J.
Leahy, D.
Loi, F.
Ma, Y. K.
Osinga, E.
Seta, A.
Stuardi, C.
Thomson, A. J. M.
Van Eck, C.
Vernstrom, T.
West, J.
contents We present initial results from the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM), analysing 22,817 Faraday Rotation Measures (RMs) with median uncertainties of 1.2 rad m^-2 across 1,520 square degrees to study magnetised gas associated with 55 nearby galaxy groups (z less than 0.025) with halo masses between 10^12.5 and 10^14.0 M_sun. We identify two distinct gas phases: the Intragroup Medium (IGrM) within 0-2 splashback radii and the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) extending from 2 to 7 splashback radii. These phases enhance the standard deviation of residual (i.e., Galactic foreground RM-subtracted) RMs by 6.9 +/- 1.8 rad m^-2 and 4.2 +/- 1.2 rad m^-2, respectively. Estimated magnetic field strengths are several microGauss within the IGrM and 0.1-1 microGauss in the WHIM. We estimate the plasma beta in both phases and show that magnetic pressure might be more dynamically important than in the ICM of more massive clusters or sparse cosmic web filaments. Our findings indicate that "missing baryons" in the WHIM likely extend beyond the gravitational radii of group-mass halos to Mpc scales, consistent with large-scale, outflow-driven "magnetised bubbles" seen in cosmological simulations. We demonstrate that RM grids are an effective method for detecting magnetised thermal gas at galaxy group interfaces and within the cosmic web. This approach complements X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect methods, and when combined with Fast Radio Burst Dispersion Measures, data from the full POSSUM survey, comprising approximately a million RMs, will allow direct magnetic field measurements to further our understanding of baryon circulation in these environments and the magnetised universe.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_20325
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Probing the Magnetised Gas Distribution in Galaxy Groups and the Cosmic Web with POSSUM Faraday Rotation Measures
Anderson, Craig S.
McClure-Griffiths, N. M.
Rudnick, L.
Gaensler, B. M.
O'Sullivan, S. P.
Bradbury, S.
Akahori, T.
Baidoo, L.
Bruggen, M.
Carretti, E.
Duchesne, S.
Heald, G.
Jung, S. L.
Kaczmarek, J.
Leahy, D.
Loi, F.
Ma, Y. K.
Osinga, E.
Seta, A.
Stuardi, C.
Thomson, A. J. M.
Van Eck, C.
Vernstrom, T.
West, J.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
We present initial results from the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM), analysing 22,817 Faraday Rotation Measures (RMs) with median uncertainties of 1.2 rad m^-2 across 1,520 square degrees to study magnetised gas associated with 55 nearby galaxy groups (z less than 0.025) with halo masses between 10^12.5 and 10^14.0 M_sun. We identify two distinct gas phases: the Intragroup Medium (IGrM) within 0-2 splashback radii and the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) extending from 2 to 7 splashback radii. These phases enhance the standard deviation of residual (i.e., Galactic foreground RM-subtracted) RMs by 6.9 +/- 1.8 rad m^-2 and 4.2 +/- 1.2 rad m^-2, respectively. Estimated magnetic field strengths are several microGauss within the IGrM and 0.1-1 microGauss in the WHIM. We estimate the plasma beta in both phases and show that magnetic pressure might be more dynamically important than in the ICM of more massive clusters or sparse cosmic web filaments. Our findings indicate that "missing baryons" in the WHIM likely extend beyond the gravitational radii of group-mass halos to Mpc scales, consistent with large-scale, outflow-driven "magnetised bubbles" seen in cosmological simulations. We demonstrate that RM grids are an effective method for detecting magnetised thermal gas at galaxy group interfaces and within the cosmic web. This approach complements X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect methods, and when combined with Fast Radio Burst Dispersion Measures, data from the full POSSUM survey, comprising approximately a million RMs, will allow direct magnetic field measurements to further our understanding of baryon circulation in these environments and the magnetised universe.
title Probing the Magnetised Gas Distribution in Galaxy Groups and the Cosmic Web with POSSUM Faraday Rotation Measures
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.20325