"Towards a Unified View of the Magnetized and Multi-Phase Interstellar Medium"
MPE HYBRID-CAS Seminar
- Date: Mar 11, 2026
- Time: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Raphael Skalidis (Caltech, Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, USA)
- Location: MPE
- Room: New Seminar Room X5, 1.1.18 b
Abstract:
The
interstellar medium (ISM) is a dynamic environment consisting of gas at
different phases — from hot ionized plasma to cold molecular clouds.
Phase interactions are turbulent and influenced by the omnipresent ISM
magnetic field, which regulates the flow of matter, cloud formation, and
the initial conditions for star formation. Yet, a unified picture of
how turbulence and magnetic fields operate across the different ISM
phases remains elusive. In this talk, I will present our ongoing
efforts, which combine analytical modeling, numerical simulations of
magnetized turbulence, and polarization observations to interpret and
map the ISM’s turbulent magnetic structures. Our work provides new tools
to constrain the three-dimensional geometry of interstellar magnetic
fields. With the advent of large-scale polarization surveys, we are
entering an era where a truly 3D view of the multiphase, magnetized ISM
is within reach.