scholarly journals Hot Plasma in the Galaxy

1998 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 47-50
Author(s):  
S. Yamauchi

In the X-ray band, we can see weak and extended X-rays along the Galactic plane and near the Galactic Bulge region, although these regions are dominated by many point sources (e.g., Warwick et al. 1985). The Tenma satellite discovered conspicuous emission lines from selected regions near the Galactic plane (Koyama et al. 1986). These lines are identified with K-shell line from He-like Fe, hence the extended emission is attributable to optically thin hot plasmas with temperatures of several keV. The origin of the thin hot plasmas, however, have been debatable, because no class of X-ray objects shows such high temperature plasma emissions. To investigate the origin of the extended X-rays, we are currently observing the Galactic plane regions with the ASCA satellite. In this paper, we report on the ASCA results: the hard X-ray imaging and spectroscopy of the hot plasma in the Galaxy.

1970 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 406-407
Author(s):  
M. J. Rees

Below 1 keV, analyses of X-ray background data are complicated by galactic absorption effects, which cause the received intensity to vary with galactic latitude. Bowyer et al. (1968) observed that the diffuse background did not fall off as rapidly as was expected towards the galactic plane. One plausible interpretation of their data would be to suppose that a significant flux of soft X-rays emanates from the disc itself. I wish to discuss what could be inferred about the latter component from improved observations of its latitude-dependence, and by indirect methods.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 809-809
Author(s):  
A. Lutovinov ◽  
M. Revnivtsev ◽  
R. Krivonos

AbstractWe study the structure of the Galaxy in the hard X-ray energy band (¿20 keV) using data from the INTEGRAL observatory. The increased sensitivity of the survey and the very deep observations performed during six years of the observatory operation allow us to detect about a hundred new sources. This significantly enlarges the sample of hard X-ray sources in the Galactic disk and bulge in a comparison with the previous studies.


2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (S296) ◽  
pp. 235-238
Author(s):  
H. S. Kumar ◽  
S. Safi-Harb ◽  
P. O. Slane ◽  
E. V. Gotthelf

AbstractWe present the first detailed Chandra and XMM-Newton study of the young Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) Kes 73 associated with the anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP) 1E 1841–045. Images of the remnant in the radio (20 cm), infrared (24 μm), and X-rays (0.5–7 keV) reveal a spherical morphology with a bright western limb. High-resolution Chandra images show bright diffuse emission across the remnant, with several small-scale clumpy and knotty structures filling the SNR interior. The overall Chandra and XMM-Newton spectrum of the SNR is best described by a two-component thermal model with the hard component characterized by a low ionization timescale, suggesting that the hot plasma has not yet reached ionization equilibrium. The soft component is characterized by enhanced metal abundances from Mg, Si, and S, suggesting the presence of metal-rich supernova ejecta. We discuss the explosion properties of the supernova and infer the mass of its progenitor star. Such studies shed light on our understanding of SNRs associated with highly magnetized neutron stars.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 810-810
Author(s):  
Roman Krivonos ◽  
Mikhail Revnivtsev ◽  
Sergey Tsygankov ◽  
Eugene Churazov ◽  
Rashid Sunyaev

AbstractThe nature of the Galactic Ridge X-Ray Emission (GRXE) has been under scientific debate since its discovery more than 30 years ago. It is observed as extended emission along the Galactic disk. The question was: is GRXE truly diffuse or is it composed from a large number of unresolved point sources? Using near-infrared Galaxy maps measured with the DIRBE experiment and data from the INTEGRAL observatory, we show that the galactic background in the energy range 20-60 keV originates from the stellar population of the Galaxy, which is in contrast to the diffuse nature believed before (Krivonos et al., 2007). Here we show preliminary results of studying the transition region from hard X-rays to gamma diffuse background of the Galaxy, revealing the broad band picture of Galactic Background emission.


1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. S444-S447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elihu Boldt ◽  
Henry Doong ◽  
Peter Serlemitsos ◽  
Guenter Riegler

A balloon-borne X-ray survey of the galactic plane in the region of the galactic center was made from Australia during December 1966. The photon events recorded by a detector composed of a krypton gas proportional counter and a cesium iodide scintillation crystal are used to determine the spectrum of hard X-rays from the vicinity of Sgr XR-1.


The past decade has seen great improvements in the quality of X -ray spectra of solar flares obtained from spacecraft. Such spectra show lines emitted by highly ionized atoms of abundant elements which make up high-temperature plasma contained within coronal magnetic flux tubes. This plasma is probably energized at or a little before the flare impulsive stage, as revealed by bursts of hard X-rays. Temperature and density conditions can be deduced from ratios of line intensities, as well as element abundances under certain conditions. In this paper, several examples of line ratios to deduce these are given. Analysis shows that there is a wide range of electron temperatures - generally from 2 x 10 6 K to 20 x 10 6 K - though sometimes even higher. Electron densities of around 10 17 -10 18 m -3 have been derived, higher values occurring at the flare peak or just before, and then declining. The physical conditions of the hot plasma are now precisely enough known from X -ray spectroscopy that models of flares which have been constructed in the past can be constrained. The most profitable direction for research in this area in the near future would in fact appear to be for a much better linking of the findings from X -ray spectra and modelling of plasma in flux tubes to understand better the flare process in general.


1968 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 206-209
Author(s):  
Hugh M. Johnson

The six or eight optically identified X-ray sources comprise starlike objects and extended supernova remnants in the Galaxy, well as as a radio galaxy and a quasar. Both X-ray and radiofrequency radiation penetrate the entire galactic plane, but only two or three galactic radio sources have been identified with X-ray sources. This has led Hayakawa et al. to postulate that detectable X-ray sources are not farther than 1 kpc. However, other studies suggest that there is a cluster of a few intrinsically bright sources actually near the galactic nucleus and a scattering of weaker sources near the sun.The distances of X-ray sources can be estimated from extinction by interstellar gas or intergalactic gas on spectra above 10 Å, but the method ultimately depends on the radio and optical data of the gas. Conversely, interstellar densities of certain elements with large photo-ionization cross-sections may be determined from the absorption of X-rays, after calibration of source distances by the methods of optical astronomy.


1997 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 547-550
Author(s):  
Andreas Vogler ◽  
Wolfgang Pietsch

AbstractWe performed deep follow up observations of the active spiral galaxy NGC 4258 with the ROSAT HRI and PSPC to study the different emission components. The overall luminosity of NGC 4258 is Lx ~ 2 × 1040 erg s−1 in the 0.1 – 2.4 keV ROSAT band. Besides a weak nuclear point source (Lx ≲ 1038 erg s−1) fourteen point sources are detected in the NGC 4258 disk (integral Lx ~ 3 × 1039 erg s− 1). The bulk of the X-ray emission is not resolved. The main contributions are explained by hot interstellar medium along the anomalous spiral arms of NGC 4258 (Lx ~ 1 × 1040, T ~ 0.4 keV) and by interstellar medium escaping from NGC 4258 disk into the approaching halo hemisphere (Lx ~ 4 × 1039 erg s−1, T ~ 0.2 keV)Surface brightness, temperature and absorption profiles have been taken for the X-rays in the regions of the anomalous arms. The highest and lowest absorption was received for the NW and SE tips of the arms, respectively. Our X-ray findings are compared to a model of the anomalous arms which suggests that the bar of the galaxy causes shocks in the interstellar medium and might heat a small part of it to X-ray temperatures.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S290) ◽  
pp. 157-160
Author(s):  
Ping Zhao ◽  
Jonathan E. Grindlay ◽  
Jaesub Hong ◽  
Mathieu Servillat ◽  
Maureen van den Berg

AbstractChandra Multi-wavelength Plane Survey (ChaMPlane) surveys the X-ray point sources discovered by the Chandra X-ray Observatory in the galactic plane in order to constrain the populations of faint (Lx ≤ 1033erg/s) accretion-powered sources in the Galaxy. This multi-wavelength survey includes data from the Chandra archive, as well as optical and infrared images and spectra. This paper summarizes a few selected highlights.


Author(s):  
M.G. Baldini ◽  
S. Morinaga ◽  
D. Minasian ◽  
R. Feder ◽  
D. Sayre ◽  
...  

Contact X-ray imaging is presently developing as an important imaging technique in cell biology. Our recent studies on human platelets have demonstrated that the cytoskeleton of these cells contains photondense structures which can preferentially be imaged by soft X-ray imaging. Our present research has dealt with platelet activation, i.e., the complex phenomena which precede platelet appregation and are associated with profound changes in platelet cytoskeleton. Human platelets suspended in plasma were used. Whole cell mounts were fixed and dehydrated, then exposed to a stationary source of soft X-rays as previously described. Developed replicas and respective grids were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).


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