| Abstract : | The study of astrophysical phenomena within turbulent, multiphase environments presents unique challenges. Initially, the coexistence of turbulence and multiphase media may appear paradoxical, as turbulence tends to homogenize the gas, but recent research has illuminated the role of radiative cooling in addressing this issue. However, a critical yet unexplored aspect is the impact of magnetic fields. Magnetic fields can significantly alter the dynamics of turbulent multiphase media. For example, magnetic fields can drastically reduce the mixing via Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in multiphase gases. This has implications for phenomena such as small-scale cold gas evolution, low-density gas surface brightness, and the broader baryon cycle.
In this talk, I will share our latest findings from small-scale [magneto]-hydrodynamic ([M]HD) turbulence simulations aimed at understanding the relation between magnetic fields and mixing in multiphase gas. Our results provide compelling evidence of the magnetic field's influence on turbulent radiative mixing layers while revealing a surprising lack of this difference between larger HD and MHD turbulent box simulations. This small-scale physics is a substantial problem for cosmological simulations and theoretical studies to understand these phenomena are needed to include them in such large-scale simulations as subgrid models. |
