Magnetic fields permeate the entire Universe: they extend through galaxy clusters and along the intergalactic filaments that form the cosmic web. Despite their pervasive presence, we still do not know precisely how they originate or how they are amplified.
The project BELOVED – B-field EvoLution and Origin in Vast Extragalactic Domains, funded by a €1.9 million ERC Consolidator Grant, aims to uncover the mechanisms behind the amplification of magnetic fields within galaxy clusters.
“From galactic to extragalactic scales, questions about the origin and amplification of magnetic fields remain unanswered, due to the scarcity of available data and the limitations of the techniques currently at our disposal,” explains Annalisa Bonafede, professor at the “Augusto Righi” Department of Physics and Astronomy and Principal Investigator of the project. “In the coming years, however, new powerful instruments will come online, offering unprecedented opportunities to address these unresolved questions. BELOVED will leverage these new resources to seek answers to fundamental questions that also involve astroparticle physics, plasma physics and cosmology.”
At the heart of the project lies a still-unexplained process: the amplification of magnetic fields during the evolution of cosmic structures, culminating in the formation of galaxy clusters.
This is a complex and multifaceted problem that requires specific tools, data and analytical techniques. The BELOVED project will implement a coordinated effort to seize this opportunity and shed light on the origin and evolution of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters.
Coordinated by Professor Bonafede, BELOVED will bring together a carefully selected research team composed of two PhD students and four postdoctoral researchers.
The project will also benefit from the development of new radio interferometers such as LOFAR 2.0, MeerKAT, MeerKAT+ and ASKAP, which are paving the way for the SKAO (Square Kilometre Array Observatory), the world’s largest radio telescope. These extremely powerful instruments will make it possible to gather crucial information to unravel the mechanisms behind the amplification of magnetic fields in large-scale cosmic structures.
