An Intergalactic Magnetic Field from Quasar Outflows

Abstract

Outflows from quasars inevitably pollute the intergalactic medium (IGM) with magnetic fields. The short-lived activity of a quasar leaves behind an expanding magnetized bubble in the IGM. We model the expansion of the remnant quasar bubbles and calculate their distribution as a function magnetic field strength at different redshifts. We find that by a redshift z ~ 3, about 5-80% of the IGM volume is filled by magnetic fields with an energy density > 10% of the mean thermal energy density of a photo-ionized IGM (at ~ 10^4 K). As massive galaxies and X-ray clusters condense out of the magnetized IGM, the adiabatic compression of the magnetic field could result in the fields observed in these systems without a need for further dynamo amplification.

3 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the conference "Lighthouses of the Universe: The Most Luminous Celestial Objects and Their Use for Cosmology", Garching, August 2001 (Springer-Verlag)