B-field EvoLution and Origin in Vast Extragalactic Domains

Descripción del proyecto

Los datos de observación vanguardistas podrían ayudar a desentrañar los misterios del universo magnetizado

Los campos magnéticos desempeñan un papel crucial en la formación del universo, pero sigue siendo difícil comprender sus orígenes y su amplificación durante la formación de las estructuras cósmicas. Los descubrimientos recientes muestran que los campos magnéticos se extienden más allá de los cúmulos galácticos hacia los filamentos intergalácticos, pero estos hallazgos aún plantean preguntas fundamentales sobre la evolución de los campos magnéticos. El proyecto BELOVED, financiado por el Consejo Europeo de Investigación, aprovechará los nuevos datos procedentes de radiotelescopios avanzados como LOFAR2.0 MeerKAT y ASKAP, así como de técnicas «ad hoc» para estudiar cómo se amplifican los campos magnéticos en los cúmulos de galaxias. Los resultados del proyecto permitirán avanzar en el conocimiento de los cúmulos de galaxias y repercutirán en campos como la física de astropartículas, la física del plasma y la cosmología.

Objetivo

“And what about magnetic fields?” This is likely the most frequent question in conferences that address any non-thermal phenomena of our Universe. From Galactic to Extra-galactic scales, the origin and amplification of magnetic fields is yet something we have to assume, based on a paucity of data and limits. Of particular relevance to a vast number of physical processes is how magnetic fields are amplified during the process of structure formation, that culminates in the formation of galaxy clusters. Recent discoveries have probed that magnetic fields permeate our Universe beyond the virial radii of clusters, up to intergalactic filaments. How these magnetic fields originate and how are they amplified are yet unanswered questions.
We are entering exciting times for the study of the magnetized Universe, thanks to the development of large radio interferometric arrays, such as LOFAR2.0 MeerKAT, MeerKAT+, and ASKAP, that pave the path towards the Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO). In the very next years, deep polarimetric and continuum radio data will blossom, giving us the unprecedented opportunity to discover the process of magnetic field amplification in the large-scale structure.
However, it is only with the development of ad-hoc techniques and under a coordinated project which undertakes the many facets of this ambitious goal, that we can exploit this opportunity and unravel the origin and evolution of magnetic fields in clusters.
BELOVED takes advantage of up-coming data, coupled with innovative strategies and the PI profile to unravel the processes of magnetic field amplification in galaxy clusters. This project will address fundamental questions not restricted to the physics of galaxy clusters but having impact on several inter-connected physical disciplines, such as astro-particle physics, plasma physics, and cosmology.