Modeling the Galactic Center Nonthermal Filaments as Magnetized Wake

Abstract

We simulate the Galactic Center nonthermal filaments as magnetized wakes formed dynamically from amplification of a weak (tens of $\mu$G) global magnetic field through the interaction of molecular clouds with a Galactic Center wind. One of the key issues in this cometary model is the stability of the filament against dynamical disruption. Here we show 2-dimensional MHD simulations for interstellar conditions that are appropriate for the Galactic Center. The structures eventually disrupt through a shear driven nonlinear instability but maintain coherence for lengths up to 100 times their width as observed. The final instability, which destroys the filament through shredding and plasmoid formation, grows quickly in space (and time) and leads to an abrupt end to the structure, in accord with observations. As a by-product, the simulation shows that emission should peak well downstream from the cloud-wind interaction site.

postscript file, 7 figs (included); Accepted for publication in ApJ (Part 1)

References in corpus (1)

• A New System of Parallel Isolated Nonthermal Filaments Near the Galactic Center: Evidence for a Local Magnetic Field Gradient

Cited by in corpus (11)

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• Probing Cosmic Ray Transport with Radio Synchrotron Harps in the Galactic Center
• The Origin of the Galactic Center Nonthermal Radio Filaments: Young Stellar Clusters
• Cosmic-ray driven outflow from the galactic center and the origin of magnetized radio filaments
• Populations of Magnetized Filaments in the Intracluster Medium and the Galactic Center
• Statistical Properties of the Population of the Galactic Center Filaments II: The Spacing Between Filaments
• Galactic Centre Threads as Nuclear MHD Waves
• 2 mm GISMO Observations of the Galactic Center. II. A Nonthermal Filament in the Radio Arc and Compact Sources
• Magnetic-Reconnection and Current-Sheet Model for the Radio Arc and Threads in the Galactic Center
• Supernova-remnant origin of the Galactic-Centre filaments