scholarly journals Observations of Diffuse Emission from the Hot ISM

1996 ◽  
Vol 152 ◽  
pp. 269-275
Author(s):  
W.T. Sanders ◽  
R.J. Edgar

The Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer (DXS) is a Bragg-crystal spectrometer designed to obtain spectra of the diffuse x-ray background in the 83–44 Å (150–284 eV) range, with ~ 3 Å spectral resolution (10–25 eV), and ~ 15° angular resolution. It was flown successfully as an attached Shuttle payload on the STS 54 mission of NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour in January 1993, and spectra were obtained from the diffuse background along an arc extending roughly along the galactic plane from longitude 150° to longitude 300°. The primary conclusions so far from the analysis of the DXS data are: (1) The spectra of the diffuse background in the 83–44 Å range show emission lines or emission-line blends, indicating that the emission is thermal. Although most models of this emission have assumed that it is of thermal origin, this is the first detection of lines in the diffuse background in this wavelength range. (2) The detected spectra do not resemble the model spectra of cosmic abundance equilibrium plasmas at any temperature in the 105 – 107 K range. This is independent of the particular plasma model used, Raymond & Smith, Mewe & Kaastra, or Monsignori-Fossi & Landini. (3) The detected spectra do not resemble the model spectra of depleted abundance equilibrium plasmas at any temperature in the 105 – 107 K range, for a variety of assumed elemental depletions and the same emission models. This aspect of the analysis is not completed. (4) Tentative line identifications can be made, but other lines predicted to arise from the same ions must be of consistent strength in both the DXS and EUVE data sets.

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.


1989 ◽  
Vol 120 ◽  
pp. 536-536
Author(s):  
S.L. Snowden

The 1/4 keV diffuse X-ray background (SXRB) is discussed in relation to the local interstellar medium (LISM). The most likely source for these soft X-rays is thermal emission from a hot diffuse plasma. The existence of a non-zero flux from all directions and the short ISM mean free path of these X-rays (1020HI cm-2), coupled with ISM pressure constraints, imply that the plasma has a local component and that it must, at least locally (nearest hundred parsecs), have a large filling factor. Our understanding of the geometry and physical parameters of the LISM is therefore directly tied to our understanding of the SXRB.


1973 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 258-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Felten

Recent theories of the origins of diffuse-background X-rays are reviewed, with emphasis on theories of the soft flux in the galactic plane and at the poles. This is probably partly galactic and partly extragalactic in origin. Failure to observe absorption by the Small Magellanic Cloud and by galactic gas in neighboring directions may be due to sources in the Cloud and to statistical fluctuations in galactic emission and absorption. Several models for numerous low-luminosity sources in the Galaxy are available. True ‘diffuse’ emission seems unnecessary. Absorption by Galactic gas seems to agree roughly with theory. The soft extragalactic component may arise in a hot intergalactic medium.The existence of a ‘diffuse’ galactic-plane excess in 1–100 keV is in some doubt. Low-luminosity sources may contribute to this as well.For isotropic X-rays in 1 keV – 1 MeV, superposition theories involving clusters of galaxies, Seyfert galaxies, etc. over a cosmological path length are now roughly viable. Simple ‘metagalactic’ Compton theories seem excluded if the break at 40 keV is sharp, but this is now in doubt. A very hot intergalactic medium at T ≈ 3 × 108 K would give the possibility of a sharp break.A recent upper limit on the line source strength of 100-MeV photons in the galactic plane may create some difficulties for cosmic-ray theory. The spectral shape of π-γ photons has become a matter of theoretical dispute.


1977 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 405 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Burstein ◽  
R. J. Borken ◽  
W. L. Kraushaar ◽  
W. T. Sanders

1994 ◽  
Vol 424 ◽  
pp. 671
Author(s):  
John M. Stanford ◽  
Jean-Pierre Caillault

1997 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 83-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.T. Sanders ◽  
R.J. Edgar ◽  
D.A. Liedahl ◽  
J.P. Morgenthaler

AbstractThe Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer (DXS) obtained spectra of the low energy X-ray (44 – 83 Å) diffuse background near the galactic plane from galactic longitudes 150° ≲ l ≲ 300° with ≲ 3 Å spectral resolution and ~ 15° angular resolution. Thus, DXS measured X-ray spectra that arise almost entirely from within the Local Bubble. The DXS spectra show emission lines and emission-line blends, indicating that the source of the X-ray emission is thermal – hot plasma in the Local Bubble. The measured spectra are not consistent with those predicted by standard coronal models, either with solar abundances or depleted abundances, over the temperature range 105 – 107 K. The measured spectra are also inconsistent with the predictions of various non-equilibrium models. A nearly acceptable fit to DXS spectra can be achieved using a hybrid model that combines the Raymond & Smith ionization balance calculation with recently calculated (by DAL) ionic emission lines.


1997 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 325-328
Author(s):  
S. Park ◽  
J.P. Finley ◽  
S.L. Snowden

Abstract42 ROSAT PSPC pointed observations in the Galactic plane (l ~ 4° – 26°) are mosaicked in order to study the spatial structure of the X-ray emitting gas in the Local Hot Bubble (LHB). Degree scale X-ray intensity variations are detected at the ±10% level in the ¼ keV band, which imply a likely influence from a clumpy boundary shell of the LHB in the observed ¼ keV band X-ray background. The possible origins of such a clumpy boundary structure of the LHB are discussed.


1996 ◽  
Vol 152 ◽  
pp. 289-293
Author(s):  
R.G. West ◽  
R. Willingale ◽  
J.P. Pye ◽  
T.J. Sumner

We present the results of an attempt to locate the signature of the diffuse soft X-ray background in the ROSAT Wide-Field Camera (WFC) all-sky survey. After removal of non-cosmic background sources (eg. energetic charged particles), the field-of-view integrated count rate in the WFC S1a filter (90–185 eV) shows no consistent variation with Galactic latitude or longitude. We place limits on the signal from the soft X-ray background (SXRB) in the WFC, and show that these limits conflict with the observations of the Wisconsin Sky Survey if the SXRB in this energy range is assumed to be produced by a thermal plasma of cosmic abundance and a temperature T ~ 106 K within d ~ 100 pc of the Sun.


1998 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 197-200
Author(s):  
H. Inoue ◽  
T. Takahashi ◽  
Y. Ueda ◽  
A. Yamashita ◽  
Y. Ishisaki ◽  
...  

The X-ray background in the energy range above 2 keV is highly uniform except for an excess component along the Galactic plane. The excess along the plane is considered to be associated with our Galaxy, whereas the rest of the emission is believed to be of extragalactic origin. In this paper, the X-ray background at high Galactic latitude is discussed and is designated as the CXB (cosmic X-ray background) to distinguish it from the Galactic origin.


2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (4) ◽  
pp. 5532-5540
Author(s):  
Yusuke Fujimoto ◽  
Mark R Krumholz ◽  
Shu-ichiro Inutsuka ◽  
Alan P Boss ◽  
Larry R Nittler

ABSTRACT Several observations suggest that the Solar system has been located in a region affected by massive stellar feedback for at least a few Myr; these include detection of live 60Fe in deep-sea archives and Antarctic snow, the broad angular distribution of 26Al around the Galactic plane seen in all-sky γ-ray maps, and the all-sky soft X-ray background. However, our position inside the Galactic disc makes it difficult to fully characterize this environment, and our limited time baseline provides no information about its formation history or relation to large-scale galactic dynamics. We explore these questions by using an N-body + hydrodynamics simulation of a Milky-Way-like galaxy to identify stars on Sun-like orbits whose environments would produce conditions consistent with those we observe. We find that such stars are uncommon but not exceptionally rare. These stars are found predominantly near the edges of spiral arms, and lie inside kpc-scale bubbles that are created by multiple generations of star formation in the arm. We investigate the stars’ trajectories and find that the duration of the stay in the bubble ranges from 20 to 90 Myr. The duration is governed by the crossing time of stars across the spiral arm. This is generally shorter than the bubble lifetime, which is ∼100 Myr as a result of the continuous gas supply provided by the arm environment.


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