Global Three-Dimensional MHD Simulations of Galactic Gaseous Disks: I. Amplification of Mean Magnetic Fields in Axisymmetric Gravitational Potential

Abstract

We carried out global three-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations of galactic gaseous disks to investigate how the galactic magnetic fields are amplified and maintained. We adopt a steady axisymmetric gravitational potential given by \cite*{Miy80}. As the initial condition, we assume a warm ($T\sim10^{5} \mathrm{K}$) rotating gas torus centered at $\varpi=10 \mathrm{kpc}$ threaded by weak azimuthal magnetic fields. Numerical results indicate that in differentially rotating galactic gaseous disks, magnetic fields are amplified due to magneto-rotational instability and magnetic turbulence develops. After the amplification of magnetic energy saturates, the disk stays in a quasi-steady state. The mean azimuthal magnetic field increases with time and shows reversals with period of 1Gyr (2Gyr for a full cycle). The amplitude of $B_{\phi}$ near the equatorial plane is $B_{\phi}\sim1.5\mu \mathrm{G}$ at $\varpi=5 \mathrm{kpc}$. The magnetic fields show large fluctuations whose standard deviation is comparable to the mean field. The mean azimuthal magnetic field in the disk corona has direction opposite to the mean magnetic field inside the disk. The mass accretion rate driven by the Maxwell stress is $\sim10^{-3}M_{\odot}/ \mathrm{yr}$ at $\varpi=2.5 \mathrm{kpc}$ when the mass of the initial torus is $\sim5\times10^{8}M_{\odot}$.