Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2004-04-11
Astrophys.J. 610 (2004) 820-826
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
7 pages, 6 figures, ApJ accepted
Scientific paper
10.1086/421760
Interstellar magnetic fields exist over a broad range of spatial scales, extending from the large Galactic scales ($\sim 10$ kpc) down to the very small dissipative scales ($\ll 1$ pc). In this paper, we use a set of 490 pulsars distributed over roughly one third of the Galactic disk out to a radius $R \simeq 10$ kpc (assuming $R_\odot = 8.5$ kpc) and combine their observed rotation and dispersion measures with their estimated distances to derive the spatial energy spectrum of the Galactic interstellar magnetic field over the scale range $0.5 - 15$ kpc. We obtain a nearly flat spectrum, with a 1D power-law index $\alpha=-0.37\pm0.10$ for $E_{\rm B}(k)=C k^{\alpha}$ and an rms field strength of approximately $6 \mu$G over the relevant scales. Our study complements the derivation of the magnetic energy spectrum over the scale range $0.03 - 100$ pc by \citet{ms96b}, showing that the magnetic spectrum becomes flatter at larger scales. This observational result is discussed in the framework of current theoretical and numerical models.
Ferriere Katia
Han Jian-Long
Manchester Richard N.
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