A Parameter Space Exploration of Galaxy Cluster Mergers II: Effects of Magnetic Fields
Published in The Astrophysical Journal, 2019
In this work, I investigated the effects of magnetic fields on gas dynamics in the cores of galaxy cluster mergers using magnetohydrodynamic simulations.
Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally bound objects in the universe. As such, they are important probes of universal constants such as the dark matter and baryon densities.
I worked under Dr. John ZuHone at Harvard to analyze the physics within galaxy cluster mergers. In particular, we focused on characterizing the magnetic field within cluster cores throughout a merger. We used magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations using FLASH with 9 different orientations of cluster mass ratios and impact parameters influenced by actual observations.
Recommended citation: Brzycki, B. & ZuHone, J. (2019). "A Parameter Space Exploration of Galaxy Cluster Mergers II: Effects of Magnetic Fields." The Astrophysical Journal, 883(118).
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