MIST2019 — Cosmic turbulence and magnetic fields : physics of baryonic matter across time and scales

Gravity drives the evolution of the universe, but the gas dissipative dynamics is a central, yet unsolved, issue in the theory of galaxy formation. Current theories succeed in reproducing the observed mass distribution of galaxies only by introducing powerful stellar and black hole feedback that alleviate the rapid gas cooling and condensation into stars. An emergent alternative is that a large fraction of the gas internal energy is stored in turbulent motions instead of being radiated away and lost. Turbulence however adds a huge level of complexity to the physics of baryonic matter because cosmic turbulence involves magnetic fields and the plasma nature of the gas and because it pervades all the thermal phases from the hottest at more than one million Kelvin to the coldest at about 10 Kelvin in which stars form. The prodigious development of new facilities on the observational side, and the fast increase of computing power on the modeling side are opening up the field, calling for new multi-disciplinary approaches. The meeting will gather astrophysicists, observers and theorists of the local and high-redshift universe, with experts of turbulence and plasma physics to trigger cross-pollination between research fields usually discussed separately.

Topics: galaxy formation, star formation, interstellar matter, interstellar turbulence, magnetic fields, plasma physics