Intergalactic Magnetogenesis at Cosmic Dawn by Photoionization

Abstract

We present a detailed analysis of an astrophysical mechanism that generates cosmological magnetic fields during the Epoch of Reionization. It is based on the photoionization of the Intergalactic Medium by the first sources formed in the Universe. First the induction equation is derived, then the characteristic length and time scales of the mechanism are identified, and finally numerical applications are carried out for first stars, primordial galaxies and distant powerful quasars. In these simple examples, the strength of the generated magnetic fields varies between the order of $10^{-23}$ G on hundreds of kiloparsecs to $10^{-19}$ G on hundreds of parsecs in the neutral Intergalactic Medium between the Strömgren spheres of the sources. Thus this mechanism contributes to the premagnetization of the whole Universe before large scale structures are in place. It operates with any ionizing source, at any time during the Epoch of Reionization. Finally, the generated fields possess a characteristic spatial configuration which may help discriminate these seeds from those produced by different mechanisms.

Submitted to MNRAS

References in corpus (4)

• The origin, evolution and signatures of primordial magnetic fields
• Simulating Cosmic Reionization at Large Scales II: the 21-cm Emission Features and Statistical Signals
• The Biermann Battery in Cosmological MHD Simulations of Population III Star Formation
• Electromagnetic Properties of the Early Universe

Cited by in corpus (21)

• The Gamma-Ray Window to Intergalactic Magnetism
• Constraints on Primordial Magnetic Fields from Planck combined with the South Pole Telescope CMB B-mode polarization measurements
• Galactic Dynamos
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• From primordial seed magnetic fields to the galactic dynamo
• Magnetogenesis around the first galaxies: the impact of different field seeding processes on galaxy formation
• Covariant and 3+1 Equations for Dynamo-Chiral General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics
• Unraveling the origin of magnetic fields in galaxies
• Cosmic Magnetism in Centimeter and Meter Wavelength Radio Astronomy
• Schwinger effect and backreaction in de Sitter spacetime
• Magnetic field production at a first-order electroweak phase transition
• Searching for Primordial Magnetic Fields with CMB B-modes
• Cosmological Magnetogenesis: The Biermann Battery during the Epoch of Reionization
• Axion driven cosmic magneto-genesis during the QCD crossover
• Mean Energy Density of Photogenerated Magnetic Fields Throughout the Epoch of Reionization
• Magnetic field generation by an inhomogeneous return current
• Magnetizing the Cosmic Web during Reionization
• The Hydrogen Mixing Portal, Its Origins, and Its Cosmological Effects
• Simulated Rotation Measure Sky from Primordial Magnetic Fields
• Radiative transfer dynamo effect
• Workshop summary 'The Power of Faraday Tomography'