The spatial energy spectrum of magnetic fields in our Galaxy
| dc.creator | Han, J. L. | |
| dc.creator | Ferriere, K. | |
| dc.creator | Manchester, R. N. | |
| dc.date | 2004-04-11 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T02:12:54Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T02:12:54Z | |
| dc.description | Interstellar magnetic fields exist over a broad range of spatial scales, extending from the large Galactic scales ($\sim 10$ kpc) down to the very small dissipative scales ($\ll 1$ pc). In this paper, we use a set of 490 pulsars distributed over roughly one third of the Galactic disk out to a radius $R \simeq 10$ kpc (assuming $R_\odot = 8.5$ kpc) and combine their observed rotation and dispersion measures with their estimated distances to derive the spatial energy spectrum of the Galactic interstellar magnetic field over the scale range $0.5 - 15$ kpc. We obtain a nearly flat spectrum, with a 1D power-law index $α=-0.37\pm0.10$ for $E_{\rm B}(k)=C k^α$ and an rms field strength of approximately $6 μ$G over the relevant scales. Our study complements the derivation of the magnetic energy spectrum over the scale range $0.03 - 100$ pc by \citet{ms96b}, showing that the magnetic spectrum becomes flatter at larger scales. This observational result is discussed in the framework of current theoretical and numerical models. | |
| dc.description | 7 pages, 6 figures, ApJ accepted | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0404221 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0404221 | |
| dc.identifier | Astrophys.J. 610 (2004) 820-826 | |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.1086/421760 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/7620 | |
| dc.subject | Astrophysics | |
| dc.title | The spatial energy spectrum of magnetic fields in our Galaxy | |
| dc.type | text |