Thermal Instability and Heating Mechanisms in Stratified Atmospheres

This project investigates how different, more realistic forms of heating regulate thermal instability in stratified atmospheres such as the intracluster medium, moving beyond the highly idealized ‘magic heating’ used in previous studies. Combining theoretical analysis with numerical simulations, it aims to clarify when and how cold gas can condense out of a hot, gravitationally stratified plasma.

Thermal instability (TI) in stratified atmospheres is believed to play a central role in producing the cold gas observed in galaxy clusters’ intracluster medium. A key but poorly understood ingredient is the form of heating that balances cooling: previous work has typically assumed highly idealized, spatially uniform “magic heating” to maintain global thermal equilibrium.
In this project, you will explore TI both theoretically and with numerical simulations, replacing such ad hoc heating prescriptions with more realistic, physically motivated models. By mapping how different heating mechanisms influence condensation, stability criteria, and cold-gas morphology, this work will help build a more robust understanding of how multiphase structure forms in cluster atmospheres.