Dynamical evolution of magnetic fields in the intracluster medium

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters starting from constant primordial fields using highly resolved ({≈ } 4 kpc) cosmological (magnetohydrodynamic) MHD simulations. The magnetic fields in our sample exhibit amplification via a small-scale dynamo and compression during structure formation. In particular, we study how the spectral properties of magnetic fields are affected by mergers, and we relate the measured magnetic energy spectra to the dynamical evolution of the intracluster medium. The magnetic energy grows by a factor of ∼40-50 in a time span of ∼9 Gyr and equipartition between kinetic and magnetic energy occurs on a range of scales (< 160 kpc at all epochs) depending on the turbulence state of the system. We also find that, in general, the outer scale of the magnetic field and the MHD scale are not simply correlated in time. The effect of major mergers is to shift the peak magnetic spectra to smaller scales, whereas the magnetic amplification only starts after ≲1 Gyr. In contrast, continuous minor mergers promote the steady growth of the magnetic field. We discuss the implications of these findings in the interpretation of future radio observations of galaxy clusters.