Related papers: Are magnetic fields in cosmic voids primordial?
The origin of the substantial magnetic fields that are found in galaxies and on even larger scales, such as in clusters of galaxies, is yet unclear. If the second-order couplings between photons and electrons are considered, then…
The origin and maintenance of coherent magnetic fields in the Universe is reviewed with an emphasis on the possible challenges that arise in their theoretical understanding. We begin with the interesting possibility that magnetic fields…
The origin of large-scale magnetic fields, detected in some low-mass (dwarf and irregular) galaxies via polarised synchrotron emission and Faraday rotation, remained unexplained for a long time. We suggest that mean-field dynamo can be…
There are at present more then 30 theories about the origin of cosmic magnetic fields at galactic and intergalactic scales. Most of them rely on concepts of elementary particle physics, like phase transitions in the early Universe, string…
A primordial magnetic field could be responsible for the observed magnetic fields of the galaxies. One possibility is that such a primordial field is generated at the electroweak phase transition because of the fluctuations in the Higgs…
A variety of observations suggest that magnetic fields are present in all galaxies and galaxy clusters. These fields are characterized by a modest strength (10^{-7}-10^{-5} G) and huge spatial scale (~Mpc). It is generally assumed that…
The explanation of the observed galactic magnetic fields may require the existence of a primordial magnetic field. Such a field may arise during the early cosmological phase transitions, or because of other particle physics related…
Magnetic fields appear wherever plasma and currents can be found. As such, they thread through all scales in Nature. It is natural, therefore, to suppose that magnetic fields might have been formed within the high temperature environments…
The origin of magnetic fields in the Universe is an open problem in astrophysics and fundamental physics. Our present-day knowledge is limited to regions of strong magnetic fields and to star-forming disks of galaxies. Low-energy electrons…
Despite their ubiquity, there are many open questions regarding galactic and cosmic magnetic fields. Specifically, current observational constraints cannot rule out if magnetic fields observed in galaxies were generated in the Early…
The universe is magnetized on all scales probed so far. On the largest scales, galaxies and galaxy clusters host magnetic fields at the micro Gauss level coherent on scales up to ten kpc. Recent observational evidence suggests that even the…
Enormous progress has been made on observing stellar magnetism in stars from the main sequence through to compact objects. Recent data have thrown into sharper relief the vexed question of the origin of stellar magnetic fields, which…
The origin of cosmic magnetism is an issue of fundamental importance in astrophysics. We review here some of the ideas of how large scale magnetic fields in the universe, particularly in galaxies and galaxy clusters could arise. The popular…
The exteriors of stellar and galactic dynamos are usually modeled as current-free potential fields. A more realistic description might instead be that of a force-free magnetic field. Here, we suggest that, in the absence of outflows,…
We review current ideas on the origin of galactic and extragalactic magnetic fields. We begin by summarizing observations of magnetic fields at cosmological redshifts and on cosmological scales. These observations translate into constraints…
The detection of magnetic fields at high redshifts, and in empty intergalactic space, support the idea that cosmic magnetism has a primordial origin. Assuming that Maxwellian electromagnetism and general relativity hold, and without…
Most of the baryonic matter in the Universe is permeated by magnetic fields which affect many, if not most, of astrophysical phenomena both, in compact sources and in diffuse gas. Recent years have been marked by a worldwide surge of…
The galactic magnetic field is commonly supposed to be due to a dynamo acting on some large scale seed field. A major difficulty with this idea is that estimates of reasonable seed field strengths tend to be quite low, on the order of…
We review the possible mechanisms for the generation of cosmological magnetic fields, discuss their evolution in an expanding Universe filled with the cosmic plasma and provide a critical review of the literature on the subject. We put…
We extend some previous attempts to explain the origin and evolution of primordial magnetic fields during inflation induced from a 5D vacuum. We show that the usual quantum fluctuations of a generalized 5D electromagnetic field cannot…