ABSTRACT
Recent observations have revealed interstellar features that apparently connect energetic activity in the central region of our Galaxy to its halo. The nature of these features, however, ...remains largely uncertain. We present a Chandra mapping of the central 2° × 4° field of the Galaxy, revealing a complex of X-ray-emitting threads plus plume-like structures emerging from the Galactic Centre (GC). This mapping shows that the northern plume or fountain is offset from a well-known radio lobe (or the GCL), which however may represent a foreground H ii region, and that the southern plume is well wrapped by a corresponding radio lobe recently discovered by MeerKAT. In particular, we find that a distinct X-ray thread, G0.17−0.41, is embedded well within a non-thermal radio filament, which is locally inflated. This thread with a width of ∼1.6 arcsec (FWHM) is ∼2.6 arcmin or 6 pc long at the distance of the GC and has a spectrum that can be characterized by a power law or an optically-thin thermal plasma with temperature ≳ 3 keV. The X-ray-emitting material is likely confined within a strand of magnetic field with its strength ≳ 1 mG, not unusual in such radio filaments. These morphological and spectral properties of the radio/X-ray association suggest that magnetic field re-connection is the energy source. Such re-connection events are probably common when flux tubes of antiparallel magnetic fields collide and/or become twisted in and around the diffuse X-ray plumes, representing blowout superbubbles driven by young massive stellar clusters in the GC. The understanding of the process, theoretically predicted in analog to solar flares, can have strong implications for the study of interstellar hot plasma heating, cosmic ray acceleration and turbulence.
ABSTRACT
X-ray observations provide a potentially powerful tool to study starburst feedback. The analysis and interpretation of such observations remain challenging, however, due to various ...complications, including the non-isothermality of the diffuse hot plasma and the inhomogeneity of the foreground absorption. We here illustrate such complications and a way to mitigate their effects by presenting an X-ray spectroscopy of the 30 Doradus nebula in the Large Magellanic Clouds, based on a 100 ks Suzaku observation. We measure the thermal and chemical properties of the hot plasma and quantitatively confront them with the feedback expected from embedded massive stars. We find that our spatially resolved measurements can be well reproduced by a global modelling of the nebula with a lognormal temperature distribution of the plasma emission measure and a lognormal foreground absorption distribution. The metal abundances and total mass of the plasma are consistent with the chemically enriched mass ejection expected from the central OB association and a $\sim 55{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ mass-loading from the ambient medium. The total thermal energy of the plasma is smaller than what is expected from a simple superbubble model, demonstrating that important channels of energy loss are not accounted for. Our analysis indeed shows tentative evidence for a diffuse non-thermal X-ray component, indicating that cosmic ray acceleration needs to be considered in such a young starburst region. Finally, we suggest that the lognormal modelling may be suitable for the X-ray spectral analysis of other giant H ii regions, especially when spatially resolved spectroscopy is not practical.
ABSTRACT
The role of energetic outflows from galactic nuclei in shaping galaxy formation and evolution is still shrouded in uncertainty. In this study, we shed light on this complex phenomenon by ...presenting evidence for a large-scale bipolar radio/X-ray-emitting bubble-like structure emanating from the central region of the nearby disc galaxy M106 (NGC 4258). Our findings, based on Low-Frequency Array survey data and Chandra observations, provide a glimpse into the underlying physical processes driving this enigmatic structure. Similar to the eROSITA/Fermi bubbles in our own Galaxy, the M106 bubbles enclose diffuse hot plasma and are partially bounded by prominent radio/X-ray-emitting edges. We constrain the magnetic field and cosmic-ray properties of the structure. The analysis of the X-ray data gives an estimate of the thermal energy of the bubbles as ∼8 × 1056 erg. This energy can be supplied by the jets and perhaps by the wind from the accretion flow of the galaxy’s low-luminosity AGN, which most likely has been much more powerful in the recent past, with an average mechanical energy release rate of ∼4 × 1042 erg s−1 over the last ∼8 × 106 yr – the estimated age of the structure. We also show evidence for diffuse X-ray emission on larger scales, indicating the presence of a hot galactic corona. Our results provide a clear manifestation of galactic nuclear feedback regulating the gas content and energetics of the circumgalactic medium of disc galaxies similar to our own.
ABSTRACT
The central molecular zone (CMZ) plays an essential role in regulating the nuclear ecosystem of our Galaxy. To get an insight into magnetic fields of the CMZ, we employ the gradient ...technique (GT), which is rooted in the anisotropy of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. Our analysis is based on the data of multiple wavelengths, including molecular emission lines, radio 1.4 GHz continuum image, and Herschel $70\, {\mu }{\rm m}$ image, as well as ionized Ne ii and Paschen-alpha emissions. The results are compared with the observations of Planck 353 GHz and High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera Plus (HWAC+) $53\, {\mu }{\rm m}$ polarized dust emissions. We map the magnetic fields orientation at multiple wavelength across the central molecular zone, including close-ups of the Radio Arc and Sagittarius A West regions, on multiscales from ∼0.1 pc to 10 pc. The magnetic fields towards the central molecular zone traced by the GT are globally compatible with the polarization measurements, accounting for the contribution from the galactic foreground and background. This correspondence suggests that the magnetic field and turbulence are dynamically crucial in the galactic center. We find that the magnetic fields associated with the Arched filaments and the thermal components of the Radio Arc are in good agree with the HAWC+ polarization. Our measurement towards the non-thermal Radio Arc reveals the poloidal magnetic field components in the galactic center. For Sagittarius A West region, we find a great agreement between the GT measurement using Ne ii emission and HWAC+ $53\, {\mu }{\rm m}$ observation. We use the GT to predict the magnetic fields associated with ionized Paschen-alpha gas down to scales of 0.1 pc.
Daily X-ray flaring represents an enigmatic phenomenon of Sagittarius A⋆ (Sgr A⋆) – the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Galaxy. We report initial results from a systematic X-ray study of ...this phenomenon, based on extensive Chandra observations obtained from 1999 to 2012, totalling about 4.5 Ms. We detect flares, using a combination of the maximum likelihood and Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, which allow for a direct accounting for the pileup effect in the modelling of the flare light curves and an optimal use of the data, as well as the measurements of flare parameters, including their uncertainties. A total of 82 flares are detected. About one third of them are relatively faint, which were not detected previously. The observation-to-observation variation of the quiescent emission has an average root-mean-square of 6–14 per cent, including the Poisson statistical fluctuation of faint flares below our detection limits. We find no significant long-term variation in the quiescent emission and the flare rate over the 14 years. In particular, we see no evidence of changing quiescent emission and flare rate around the pericentre passage of the S2 star around 2002. We show clear evidence of a short-term clustering for the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer - Spectroscopy array/high energy transmission gratings 0th-order flares on time-scale of 20–70 ks. We further conduct detailed simulations to characterize the detection incompleteness and bias, which is critical to a comprehensive follow-up statistical analysis of flare properties. These studies together will help to establish Sgr A⋆ as a unique laboratory to understand the astrophysics of prevailing low-luminosity black holes in the Universe.
ABSTRACT The properties of the Galactic Ridge X-ray Emission (GRXE) observed in the 2-10 keV band place fundamental constraints on various types of X-ray sources in the Milky Way. Although the ...primarily discrete origin of the emission is now well established, the responsible populations of these sources remain uncertain, especially at relatively low fluxes. To provide insights into this issue, we systematically characterize the Fe emission line properties of the candidate types of the sources in the solar neighborhood and compare them with those measured for the GRXE. Our source sample includes 6 symbiotic stars, 16 intermediate polars (IPs), 3 polars, 16 quiescent dwarf novae, and 4 active binaries (ABs); they are all observed with the Suzaku X-ray Observatory. The data of about one-fourth of these sources are analyzed for the first time. We find that the mean equivalent width (EW6.7) of the 6.7 keV line and the mean 7.0/6.7 keV line ratio are 107 16.0 eV and 0.71 0.04 for IPs and 221 135 eV and 0.44 0.14 for polars, respectively, which are all substantially different from those (490 15 eV and 0.2 0.08) for the GRXE. Instead, the GRXE values are better agreed by the EW6.7 (438 84.6 eV) and the ratio (0.27 0.06) observed for the DNe. We further find that the EW6.7 is strongly correlated with the 2-10 keV luminosity of the DNe, which can be characterized by the relation . Accounting for this correlation, the agreement can be improved further, especially when the contributions from other class sources to the GRXE are considered, which all have low EW6.7 values. We conclude that the GRXE mostly consists of typically faint but numerous DNe, plus ABs, while magnetic cataclysmic variables are probably mainly the high-flux representatives of the responsible populations and dominate the GRXE only in harder energy bands.
Abstract We present a statistical study of the properties of diffuse H i in 10 nearby galaxies, comparing the H i detected by the single-dish telescope FAST (FEASTS program) and the interferometer ...Very Large Array (THINGS program), respectively. The THINGS observation missed H i with a median of 23% due to the short-spacing problem of interferometry and limited sensitivity. We extract the diffuse H i by subtracting the dense H i , which is obtained from the THINGS data with a uniform flux-density threshold, from the total H i detected by FAST. Among the sample, the median diffuse-H i fraction is 34%, and more diffuse H i is found in galaxies exhibiting more prominent tidal-interaction signatures. The diffuse H i we detected seems to be distributed in disk-like layers within a typical thickness of 1 kpc, different from the more halo-like diffuse H i detected around NGC 4631 in a previous study. Most of the diffuse H i is cospatial with the dense H i and has a typical column density of 10 17.7 –10 20.1 cm −2 . The diffuse and dense H i exhibit a similar rotational motion, but the former lags by a median of 25% in at least the inner disks, and its velocity dispersions are typically twice as high. Based on a simplified estimation of circumgalactic medium properties and assuming pressure equilibrium, the volume density of diffuse H i appears to be constant within each individual galaxy, implying its role as a cooling interface. Comparing with existing models, these results are consistent with a possible link between tidal interactions, the formation of diffuse H i , and gas accretion.
Climate models have consistently projected a drying trend in the southwestern United States, aiding speculation of increasing dust storms in this region. Long‐term climatology is essential to ...documenting the dust trend and its response to climate variability. We have reconstructed long‐term dust climatology in the western United States, based on a comprehensive dust identification method and continuous aerosol observations from the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network. We report here direct evidence of rapid intensification of dust storm activity over American deserts in the past decades (1988–2011), in contrast to reported decreasing trends in Asia and Africa. The frequency of windblown dust storms has increased 240% from 1990s to 2000s. This dust trend is associated with large‐scale variations of sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean, with the strongest correlation with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. We further investigate the relationship between dust and Valley fever, a fast‐rising infectious disease caused by inhaling soil‐dwelling fungus (Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii) in the southwestern United States. The frequency of dust storms is found to be correlated with Valley fever incidences, with a coefficient (r) comparable to or stronger than that with other factors believed to control the disease in two endemic centers (Maricopa and Pima County, Arizona).
Key Points
The frequency of locally originated windblown dust storms has increased 240% in 1990‐2011 in the Southwest United States
The dust trends are likely driven by large‐scale variations of sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean
The dust trend is spatially and temporally correlated with incidences of valley fever, an infectious disease caused by soil‐dwelling fungus
Plain Language Summary
Computer models predict that as the Earth warms, the Southwest United States will become drier. In the already arid Southwest, this means more dust storms and even potential environmental catastrophes such as desertification and another “Dust Bowl.” Using a newly reconstructed data record, we found that indeed this region is seeing more dust storms in the past decades. There was a 240% increase in the number of large dust storms between 1990s and 2000s. The sharp increase of dust storms is likely driven by tiny changes of sea surface temperature in the northern Pacific Ocean. In the Southwest frequented by dust storms, the infection rate of Valley fever has mysteriously gone up more than 800% from 2000 to 2011. Little is known about what drives the fast rise, although a number of factors are found moderately correlated to the outbreaks. In two endemic centers, dust storms are found to better correlated with the disease than any other known controlling factor. This work implied a potential teleconnection between large‐scale climate variations and infectious disease in sensitive regions, although future work is needed to confirm the linkages.
We present a systematical analysis of the Chandra observations of 53 nearby highly inclined (i 60°) disc galaxies to study the coronae around them. This sample covers a broad range of galaxy ...properties: e.g. about three orders of magnitude in the star formation rate and more than two orders of magnitude in the stellar mass. The Chandra observations of the diffuse soft X-ray emission from 20 of these galaxies are presented for the first time. The data are reduced in a uniform manner, including the excision/subtraction of both resolved and unresolved stellar contributions. Various coronal properties, such as the scale height and luminosity, are characterized for all the sample galaxies. For galaxies with high enough counting statistics, we also examine the thermal and chemical states of the coronal gas. We note on galaxies with distinct multiwavelength characteristics which may affect the coronal properties. The uniformly processed images, spectra and brightness profiles, as well as the inferred hot gas parameters, form a large X-ray data base for studying the coronae around nearby disc galaxies. We also discuss various complications which may cause biases to this data base and their possible corrections or effects, such as the uncertainty in the thermal and chemical states of hot gas, the different galactic disc inclination angles, the presence of active galactic nuclei and the contribution of the emission from charge exchange at interfaces between hot and cool gases. Results from a detailed correlation analysis are presented in a companion paper to gain a more comprehensive statistical understanding of the origin of galactic coronae.
We report the discovery of a 1° scale X-ray plume in the northern Galactic Center (GC) region observed with Suzaku. The plume is located at (l, b) ∼ (0 2, 0 6), east of the radio lobe reported by ...previous studies. No significant X-ray excesses are found inside or to the west of the radio lobe. The spectrum of the plume exhibits strong emission lines from highly ionized Mg, Si, and S that are reproduced by a thin thermal plasma model with kT ∼ 0.7 keV and solar metallicity. There is no signature of non-equilibrium ionization. The unabsorbed surface brightness is 3 × 10−14 erg cm−2 s−1 arcmin−2 in the 1.5-3.0 keV band. Strong interstellar absorption in the soft X-ray band indicates that the plume is not a foreground source but is at the GC distance, giving a physical size of ∼100 pc, density of 0.1 cm−3, thermal pressure of 1 × 10−10 erg cm−3, mass of 600 M , and thermal energy of 7 × 1050 erg. From the apparent association with a polarized radio emission, we propose that the X-ray plume is a magnetized hot gas outflow from the GC.
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