Among all the stars in our galaxy, there is a fixed and diffuse mixture of gas and dust as an interstellar medium, and scientists have developed a new computer model to explore the magnetism and turbulence of this medium, in turn generating impressive images that rest. The images draw properties such as fractal density and magnetic field lines, which resemble abstract works of art.
The interstellar medium in our dairy road galaxy is magnetic, it can be compressed and turbulent. It affects important processes such as the formation of stars, the movement of cosmic rays and the mixture of materials in space. However, despite their importance, scientists still do not have a clear mathematical way to describe how it works.
“Turbulence remains one of the biggest unresolved problems in classical mechanics,” James Beattie, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto and one of the study scientists of the study, in a statement. “This [is] Despite the fact that the turbulence is ubiquitous: from the whirlwind in our coffee to chaotic flows in the oceans, the solar wind, the interstellar half, even the plasma between the galaxies. The key distinction in astrophysical environments is the presence of magnetic fields, which fundamentally alter the nature of turbulent flows. “
The magnetic field in the interstellar half is created by the gas and plasma movement. As this material revolves and rotates, it generates electric currents, which create and strengthen the magnetic fields. The process looks a lot like how the magnetic field of the Earth is formed in its Iron Core of rotating liquid. And, although the magnetic field of our galaxy is incredible weak, it still plays a powerful role in the universe configuration.
Beattie and the new model of his team, which is executed in the Supermuc-NG supercomputer in the Leibniz Supercomputing Center in Germany, has a higher resolution than that of the previous models. It can simulate very different space scales from the 30 light years regions in the structures to the structures approximately 5,000 times narrower.
“This is the first time we can study phenomena at this level of precision and these different scales,” said Beattie. This means that astronomers could obtain a deeper understanding of the processes, such as the formation of stars.
“We know that magnetic pressure opposes the formation of stars pushing out against gravity, since it tries to collapse a stars -forming nebula,” Beattie said. “Now we can quantify in detail what to expect from magnetic turbulence in that type of scales.”
While the greatest resolution is undoubtedly an advantage, however, it makes no sense if the precision of the model is not maintained. To validate the reliability of the model, the team must first try it against known observations. This step is crucial. Only by comparison, model predictions with real world data can determine how well captures the underlying physical processes that it claims to represent. Without this validation, any information or assumption extracted from the model would be speculative at best.
“We have already begun to prove if the model coincides with the existing data of the solar wind and the earth, and looks very good,” said Beattie. “This is very exciting because it means we can [also] Learn about the space climate with our simulation. The space climate is very important because we are talking about the loaded parts that bombard satellites and humans in space and have other terrestrial effects. “
It will be fascinating to see how this develops and how improved simulations can complement existing data. These improved models could even help solve long -distance mysteries that have been maintained due to the limitations of current observation technology, providing new ideas where direct observations have not yet reached.
The simulation is described in a study published on May 13 in the journal Nature Astronomy.
