skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Zhu, Hanjue"

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. Abstract We investigate the 1D plane-parallel front connecting the warm (104K) and hot (106K) phases of the circumgalactic medium (CGM), focusing on the influence of cosmic rays (CRs) in shaping these transition layers. We find that cosmic rays dictate the thermal balance while other fluxes (thermal conduction, radiative cooling, and gas flow) adjust to compensate. We compute column densities and ratios for the transition-temperature ions Siiv, Civ, Ovi, and Nv, and compare them with observational data. While most models struggle to simultaneously reproduce the observed Siiv/Civand Civ/Oviratios, a subset with intermediate magnetic field strength (e.g.,B= 20μG) shows overlap with the data, although we make no claims for their uniqueness. These discrepancies suggest that the models perform better at reproducing higher-temperature ions but underestimate the contribution from cooler, photoionized regions. Compared to models without CRs, CR-mediated fronts in sufficiently strong magnetic fields produce broader transition layers and higher ion ratios, indicating that CRs can significantly alter the thermal and ionization structure of the CGM. Our results suggest that CR heating may help explain some observed ion columns under specific conditions, though additional physics may be needed for full agreement with observations. 
    more » « less
    Free, publicly-accessible full text available July 3, 2026