Diffuse Josephson Radiation in Turbulence

• Main Authors: R. A. Treumann, Wolfgang Baumjohann
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-09-01
• Series: Frontiers in Physics
• Subjects: intracluster gas; plasma turbulence; Josephson junctions; radio radiation; cosmic magnetic fields
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2021.711882/full

The possibility of generating diffuse radiation in extended astronomical media by plasma turbulence is investigated under the assumption that the turbulence can be understood as an ensemble of small-scale magnetic filaments (narrow current sheets) forming a texture around a large number of magnetic depletions or voids. On astronomically microscopic scales, the dilute high temperature medium (plasma) is to be considered ideally conducting, forming a collection of Josephson junctions between two such adjacent quasi-superconductors. The oscillation frequency of those junctions depends on the part of the spectrum that contributes to the oscillation, causing weak radio backgrounds. Lowest Josephson frequencies/energies near zero may become sources of quasi-stationary magnetic fields.