The dynamical and thermodynamic effects of turbulence for the cosmic baryonic fluid (2503.06593v1)

Abstract: Both simulations and observations indicate that the so-called missing baryons reside in the intergalactic medium (IGM) known as the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM). In this article, we demonstrate that turbulence in the cosmic baryonic fluid is crucial for correctly understanding both the spatial distribution and the physical origins of the missing baryons in the universe. First, we find that dynamical effects cause the gas to be detained in low-density and intermediate-density regions, resulting in high baryon fractions, while prevent the inflow of the gas in high-density regions, leading to low baryon fractions. Second, turbulent energy is converted into thermal energy, and the injection and dissipation of turbulent energy have essentially reached a balance from $z=1$ to $0$. This indicates that the cosmic fluid is in a state of fully-developed turbulence within this redshift range. Due to turbulent heating, as redshift decreases, an increasing amount of warm gas is heated and transitions into the WHIM, and some even into hot gas.