Talk Details

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 - 3:15pm

Franco Vazza (Bologna):

"Shocks, Turbulence and Cosmic Rays Acceleration in (Simulated) Galaxy Clusters"

Abstract. Shocks and turbulence are likely responsible for non-thermal emissions in galaxy clusters, which are routinely observed with modern radio telescopes. The detailed processes coupling small scale chaotic motions and the acceleration and evolution of Cosmic Rays hadrons and leptons are however still object of debate. Numerical simulations may offer powerful tools to further constrain the theoretical efficiencies of the various acceleration mechanisms at work in the Intra Cluster Medium. I this talk will review some recent results about the characterization of shocks and turbulence excited during the assembly of galaxy clusters, using high-resolution Adaptive Mesh Refinement simulation with the ENZO cosmological code. Original numerical methods to describe small scale chaotic features will be presented (such as shock detecting algorithms, tracer particles and specific mesh refinement strategies), along with a cross-comparison with results from different cosmological numerical methods (e.g. SPH), with a discussion about the regimes of uncertainties in the various approach $