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Magnetic fields in galaxy clusters
Author(s) -
Brüggen M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
astronomische nachrichten
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.394
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1521-3994
pISSN - 0004-6337
DOI - 10.1002/asna.201311895
Subject(s) - intracluster medium , physics , galaxy cluster , astrophysics , cluster (spacecraft) , magnetic field , galaxy , brightest cluster galaxy , astronomy , quantum mechanics , computer science , programming language
While it is established that galaxy clusters host magnetic fields of the order of a few µ G, both, their origin as well as their role in the intracluster medium (ICM) remain unclear. I will review the observational evidence for magnetic fields in galaxy clusters and present various lines of research that study the effects of magnetic fields in the ICM. Magnetic fields affect the way in which galaxies interact with the ICM, they may render the ICM buoyantly unstable in the presence of anisotropic thermal conduction, and they affect the thermal structure of the gas in cluster cores. Finally, opportunities for future research in this field, in particular in light of new radio telescopes is highlighted. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)