2008/06/30 by Wei Liu, Hui Li, Shengtai Li +2 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/592147
11 pages, 5 figures, accepted by ApJL. Minor changes according to the referee's report
openalex publication_date 2008/08/14 · arxiv created 2008/08/22 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
We have performed nonlinear ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the long-term evolution of a magnetized low-density "bubble" plasma formed by a radio galaxy in a stratified cluster medium. It is found that about 3.5% of the initial magnetic energy remains in the bubble after ~8 × 10 9 yr, and the initial magnetic bubble expansion is adiabatic. The bubble can survive for at least 8 × 10 9 yr due to the stabilizing effect of the bubble magnetic field on Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, possibly accounting for "ghost cavities" as observed in Perseus A. A filament structure spanning about 500 kpc is formed along the path of bubble motion. The mean value of the magnetic field inside this structure is ~0.88 μG at ~8 × 10 9 yr. Finally, the initial bubble momentum and rotation have limited influence on the long-term evolution of the bubble.