X-Rays from a Central 'Exhaust Vent' of the Galactic Center Chimney
Autor: | Scott C. Mackey, Mark R. Morris, Gabriele Ponti, Konstantina Anastasopoulou, Samaresh Mondal |
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Jazyk: | angličtina |
Rok vydání: | 2024 |
Předmět: | |
Zdroj: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol 966, Iss 2, p L32 (2024) |
Druh dokumentu: | article |
ISSN: | 2041-8213 2041-8205 |
DOI: | 10.3847/2041-8213/ad3248 |
Popis: | Using deep archival observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we present an analysis of linear X-ray-emitting features located within the southern portion of the Galactic center chimney and oriented orthogonal to the Galactic plane, centered at coordinates l = 0.°08, b = −1.°42. The surface brightness and hardness ratio patterns are suggestive of a cylindrical morphology, which may have been produced by a plasma outflow channel extending from the Galactic center. Our fits of the feature’s spectra favor a complex two-component model consisting of thermal and recombining plasma components, possibly a sign of shock compression or heating of the interstellar medium by outflowing material. Assuming a recombining plasma scenario, we further estimate the cooling timescale of this plasma to be on the order of a few hundred to thousands of years, leading us to speculate that a sequence of accretion events onto the Galactic black hole may be a plausible quasi-continuous energy source to sustain the observed morphology. |
Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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