Rotation measure structure functions with higher-order stencils as a probe of small-scale magnetic fluctuations and its application to the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds

Abstract

Magnetic fields and turbulence are important components of the interstellar medium (ISM) of star-forming galaxies. It is challenging to measure the properties of the small-scale ISM magnetic fields (magnetic fields at scales smaller than the turbulence driving scale). Using numerical simulations, we demonstrate how the second-order rotation measure (RM, which depends on thermal electron density, $n_{\rm e}$, and magnetic field, $b$) structure function can probe the properties of small-scale $b$. We then apply our results to observations of the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (SMC and LMC). First, using Gaussian random $b$, we show that the characteristic scale where the RM structure function flattens is approximately equal to the correlation length of $b$. We also show that computing the RM structure function with a higher-order stencil (more than the commonly-used two-point stencil) is necessary to accurately estimate the slope of the structure function. Then, using Gaussian random $b$ and lognormal $n_{\rm e}$ with known power spectra, we derive an empirical relationship between the slope of the power spectrum of $b$, $n_{\rm e}$, and RM. We apply these results to the SMC and LMC and estimate the following properties of small-scale $b$: correlation length ($160~\pm 21~{\rm pc}$ for the SMC and $87~\pm~17~{\rm pc}$ for the LMC), strength ($14~\pm 2~\mu{\rm G}$ for the SMC and $15~\pm 3~\mu{\rm G}$ for the LMC), and slope of the magnetic power spectrum ($-1.3~\pm~0.4$ for the SMC and $-1.6~\pm~0.1$ for the LMC). We also find that $n_{\rm e}$ is practically constant over the estimated $b$ correlation scales.