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Register a new userSuzaku Observations of the North Polar Spur: Evidence for Nitrogen Enhancement
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We present observations of the North Polar Spur (NPS) using the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) aboard the Suzaku X-ray satellite. The NPS is a large region of enhanced soft X-ray and radio emission projected above the plane of the Galaxy, likely produced by a series of supernovae and stellar winds from the nearby Sco-Cen OB association. The exceptional sensitivity and spectral resolution of the XIS below 1 keV allow unprecedented probing of low-energy spectral lines, including CVI (0.37 keV) and NVII (0.50 keV), and we have detected highly-ionized nitrogen toward the NPS for the first time. For this single pointing toward the brightest 3/4 keV emission (l = 26.8 deg, b = +22.0 deg), the best-fit NPS emission model implies a hot (kT ~ 0.3 keV), collisional ionization equilibrium (CIE) plasma with depleted C, O, Ne, Mg, and Fe abundances of less than 0.5 solar, but an enhanced N abundance, with N/O = 4.0 +0.4,-0.5 times solar. The temperature and total thermal energy of the gas suggest heating by one or more supernovae, while the enhanced nitrogen abundance is best explained by enrichment from stellar material that has been processed by the CNO cycle. Due to the time required to develop AGB stars, we conclude that this N/O enhancement cannot be caused by the Sco-Cen OB association, but may result from a previous enrichment episode in the solar neighborhood.
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The North Polar Spur (NPS) is the brightest filament of Loop I, a large circular feature in the radio continuum sky. In this paper, a model consisting of two synchrotron emitting shells is presented that reproduces large-scale structures revealed by recent polarization surveys. The polarized emission of the NPS is reproduced by one of these shells. The other shell, which passes close to the Sun, gives rise to polarized emission towards the Galactic poles. It is proposed that X-ray emission seen towards the NPS is produced by interaction of the two shells. Two OB-associations coincide with the centers of the shells. A formation scenario of the Loop I region is suggested.
The North Polar Spur (NPS) is one of the largest structures observed in the Milky Way in both the radio and soft x-rays. While several predictions have been made regarding the origin of the NPS, modelling the structure is difficult without precise distance constraints. In this paper, we determine accurate distances to the southern terminus of the NPS and toward latitudes ranging up to 55$^{circ}$. First, we fit for the distance and extinction to stars toward the NPS using optical and near-infrared photometry and Gaia DR2 astrometry. We model these per-star distance-extinction estimates as being caused by dust screens at unknown distances, which we fit for using a nested sampling algorithm. We then compare the extinction to the Spur derived from our 3D dust modelling with integrated independent measures from XMM-Newton X-ray absorption and HI column density measures. We find that we can account for nearly 100% of the total column density of the NPS as lying within 140 pc for latitudes $>26^{circ}$ and within 700 pc for latitudes $< 11^{circ}$. Based on the results, we conclude that the NPS is not associated with the Galactic Centre or the Fermi bubbles. Instead, it is likely associated, especially at higher latitudes, with the Sco-Cen association.
Most models identify the X-ray bright North Polar Spur (NPS) with a hot interstellar (IS) bubble in the Sco-Cen star-forming region at $simeq$130 pc. An opposite view considers the NPS as a distant structure associated with Galactic nuclear outflows. Constraints on the NPS distance can be obtained by comparing the foreground IS gas column inferred from X-ray absorption to the distribution of gas and dust along the line of sight. Absorbing columns towards shadowing molecular clouds simultaneously constrain the CO-H$_{2}$ conversion factor. We derived the columns of X-ray absorbing matter NH(abs) from spectral fitting of dedicated XMM-Newton observations towards the NPS southern terminus (l=29{deg}, b=+5 to +11{deg}). The IS matter distribution was obtained from absorption lines in stellar spectra, 3D dust maps and emission data, including high spatial resolution CO measurements recorded for this purpose. NH(abs) varies from $simeq$ 4.3 to $simeq$ 1.3 x 10$^{21}$ cm$^{-2}$ along the 19 fields. Relationships between X-ray brightness, absorbing column and hardness ratio demonstrate a brightness decrease with latitude governed by increasing absorption. The comparison with absorption data, local and large-scale dust maps rules out a NPS near side closer than 300 pc. The correlation between NH(abs) and the reddening increases with the sightline length from 300 pc to 4 kpc and is the tightest with Planck $tau_{353}$-based reddening, suggesting a much larger distance. N(H)/E(B-V) $simeq$ 4.1 x 10$^{21}$ cm$^{-2}$ mag$^{-1}$. NH(abs) absolute values are compatible with HI-CO clouds at -5 $leq$ V(LSR) $leq$ +25 to +45 km s$^{-1}$ and a NPS potentially far beyond the Local Arm. A molecular cloud shadow at b=+9deg constrains X$_{CO}$ to $leq$ 1.0 x 10$^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$ K$^{-1}$ km$^{-1}$ s. The average X$_{CO}$ is $leq$ 0.75 x 10$^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$ K$^{-1}$ km$^{-1}$ s.
The origin of North Polar Spur (NPS) and Loop-I has been debated over almost half a century and is still unresolved. Most of the confusion is caused by the absence of any prominent counterparts of these structures in the southern Galactic hemisphere (SGH). This has also led to doubts over the claimed connection between the NPS and Fermi Bubbles (FBs). I show in this paper, that such asymmetries of NPS and Loop-I in both X-rays and $gamma$-rays can be easily produced if the circumgalactic medium (CGM) density in the southern hemisphere is only smaller by $approx 20%$ than the northern counterpart in case of a star formation driven wind scenario. The required mechanical luminosity, $mathcal{L} approx 4-5times 10^{40} $ erg s$^{-1}$ (reduces to $approx 0.3$ M$_odot$ yr$^{-1}$ including the non-thermal pressure) and the age of the FBs, $t_{rm age} approx 28$ Myr, are consistent with previous estimations in case of a star formation driven wind scenario. One of the main reasons for the asymmetry is the projection effects at the Solar location. Such a proposition is also consistent with the fact that the southern FB is $approx 5^circ$ bigger than the northern one. The results, therefore, indicate towards a possibility for a common origin of the NPS, Loop-I and FBs from the Galactic centre (GC). I also estimate the average sky brightness in X-ray towards the south Galactic pole and North Galactic pole in the ROSAT-R67 band and find that the error in average brightness is far too large to have any estimation of the deficiency in the southern hemisphere.
3D maps of the ISM can be used to locate not only IS clouds, but also IS bubbles between the clouds that are blown by stellar winds and supernovae. We compare our 3D maps of the IS dust to the ROSAT diffuse X-ray background maps. In the Plane, there is a good correspondence between the locations and extents of the mapped nearby cavities and the 0.25 keV background emission distribution, showing that most of these nearby cavities contribute to this soft X-ray emission. Assuming a constant dust to gas ratio and homogeneous 1MK hot gas filling the cavities, we modeled in a simple way the 0.25 keV surface brightness along the Galactic plane as seen from the Sun, taking into account the absorption by the mapped clouds. The data-model comparison favors the existence of hot gas in the Local Bubble (LB). The average mean pressure in the local cavities is found to be on the order of about 10,000 cm-3K, in agreement with previous studies. The model overestimates the emission from the huge cavities in the 3rd quadrant. Using CaII absorption data, we show that the dust to CaII ratio is very small in this region, implying the presence of a large quantity of lower temperature (non-X-ray emitting) ionized gas, explaining at least part of the discrepancy. In the meridian plane, the two main brightness enhancements coincide well with the chimneys connecting the LB to the halo. No nearby cavity is found towards the bright North Polar Spur (NPS) at high latitude. We searched in the maps for the source regions of the 0.75 keV enhancements in the 4th and 1st quadrants. Tunnels and cavities are found to coincide with the main bright areas, however no tunnel nor cavity is found to match the low-latitude, brightest part of the NPS. In addition, the comparison between the maps and published spectra do not favor the nearby cavities located within about 200pc as potential source regions for the NPS.
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