3D MHD simulations of magnetic field evolution and radio polarization of barred galaxies

Astronomical Observatory, Jagiellonian University, ul Orla 171, 30-244 Kraków, Poland
e-mail: kulesza@oa.uj.edu.pl

Received: 25 May 2010
Accepted: 23 June 2010

Abstract

Aims. We study numerically the large-scale gas and magnetic field evolution of barred galaxies in the gravitational potential of a disk, bulge, halo, and bar. We solve non-linear MHD equations including the back-reaction of the magnetic field to the gas. We do not take into account any dynamo process.

Methods. We apply the numerical MHD code to calculate the model of the galaxy in three dimensions. We construct realistic maps of high-frequency (Faraday rotation free) polarized radio emission on the basis of the simulated magnetic fields. The polarization model includes the effects of projection and limited resolution.

Results. The main result is that our modeled polarization maps resemble the radio polarization structures observed in barred galaxies. The modeled polarization B-vectors distribution along the bar and between spiral arms resembles the observed topology of the magnetic field in barred galaxies. Our calculations for several different rotational velocities and sound speeds give the same result we got in our previous earlier published model. The reason of this behaviour is the dynamical evolution of the bar that causes gas to form spiral waves going radially outward. A gaseous spiral arms in turn generates magnetic ones, which live much longer in the inter-arm disk space than the gaseous pattern.