Diffuse X-rays in the Galactic center region -- The zoo of iron line clumps, non-thermal filaments and hot plasmas

Aya Bamba, Hiroshi Murakami, Atsushi, Shin-ichiro Takagi, Jun Yokogawa, Katsuji Koyama

Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kita-shirakawa, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

Paper: Proceedings of the Symposium "New Visions of the X-ray Universe in the XMM-Newton and Chandra era", Noordwijk-NL, November 2001

Weblink: http://www-cr.scphys.kyoto-u.ac.jp/member/bamba/Proceeding/Newvision.ps.gz

EPrint Server: astro-ph/0202010


Abstract:

This paper reports the diffuse X-ray features around the Galactic center observed with Chandra. We confirm the ASCA and Ginga discoveries of the large-scale thin-thermal plasma with strong lines in the Galactic center region. In addition, many small clumps of emission lines from neutral (6.4 keV line) to He-like (6.7 keV line) irons are discovered. The 6.4 keV line clumps would be reflection nebulae, while those of the 6.7 keV line are likely SNRs. We also find emission lines of intermediate energy between 6.5-6.7 keV, which are attributable to young SNRs in non equilibrium ionization. Non-thermal filaments or belts with X-ray spectra of no emission line are found, suggesting the Fermi acceleration site in a rapidly expanding shell. All these suggest that multiple-supernovae or extremely large explosion had occurred around the Galactic center region in the recent past.


Preprints available from the authors at bamba@cr.scphys.kyoto-u.ac.jp , or the raw TeX (no figures) if you click here.

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