The Biermann battery driven by a streaming plasma

Abstract

The Biermann battery is a promising generation mechanism of a seed magnetic field in the universe. We propose a new driving mechanism for the Biermann battery in an inhomogeneous plasma with a beam component. An inhomogeneous electron flow induced by the return current can make an electron pressure gradient which is not parallel to the density gradient. As a result, the magnetic field is generated by the Biermann battery. We demonstrate the new generation mechanism of the magnetic field by conducting three-fluid plasma simulations. By this mechanism, the first cosmic rays can generate the seed magnetic field with astrophysical scales at redshift around 20.

6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

References in corpus (5)

• On the structure of relativistic collisionless shocks in electron-ion plasmas
• Production of Magnetic Turbulence by Cosmic Rays Drifting Upstream of Supernova Remnant Shocks
• The transport of cosmic rays in self-excited magnetic turbulence
• On magnetic field amplification and particle acceleration near non-relativistic astrophysical shocks: Particles in MHD Cells simulations
• Magnetic field generation by an inhomogeneous return current