Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userThe Bending Feature of the Fermi Bubbles: A Presumed Horizontal Galactic Wind and Its Implication on the Bubbles Age
110
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
There are two spectacular structures in our Milky Way: the {it Fermi} bubbles in gamma-ray observations and the North Polar Spur (NPS) structure in X-ray observations. Because of their morphological similarities, they may share the same origin, i.e., related to the past activity of Galactic center (GC). Besides, those structures show significant bending feature toward the west in Galactic coordinates. This inspires us to consider the possibility that the bending may be caused by a presumed global horizontal galactic wind (HGW) blowing from the east to the west. Under this assumption, we adopt a toy shock expansion model to understand two observational features: (1) the relative thickness of the NPS; (2) the bending of the {it Fermi} bubbles and NPS. In this model, the contact discontinuity (CD) marks the boundary of the {it Fermi} bubbles, and the shocked interstellar medium (ISM) marks the NPS X-ray structure. We find that the Mach number of the forward shock in the east is $sim$ 1.9-2.3, and the velocity of the HGW is ~ 0.7-0.9 $c_{s}$. Depending on the temperature of the pre-shock ISM, the velocity of the expanding NPS in Galactic coordinates is around 180-290 km/s, and the HGW is ~ 110-190 km/s. We argue that, the age of the NPS and the {it Fermi} bubbles is about 18-34 Myr. This is a novel method, independent of injection theories and radiative mechanisms, for the estimation on the age of the {it Fermi} bubble/NPS.
rate research
Read More
Using hydrodynamical simulations, we show for the first time that an episode of star formation in the center of the Milky Way, with a star-formation-rate (SFR) $sim 0.5$ M$_odot$ yr$^{-1}$ for $sim 30$ Myr, can produce bubbles that resemble the Fermi Bubbles (FBs), when viewed from the solar position. The morphology, extent and multi-wavelength observations of FBs, especially X-rays, constrain various physical parameters such as SFR, age, and the circum-galactic medium (CGM) density. We show that the interaction of the CGM with the Galactic wind driven by a star formation in the central region can explain the observed surface brightness and morphological features of X-rays associated with the Fermi Bubbles. Furthermore, assuming that cosmic ray electrons are accelerated {it in situ} by shocks and/or turbulence, the brightness and morphology of gamma-ray emission and the microwave haze can be explained. The kinematics of the cold and warm clumps in our model also matches with recent observations of absorption lines through the bubbles.
Initial results are presented from 3D MHD modelling of stellar-wind bubbles around O stars moving supersonically through the ISM. We describe algorithm updates that enable high-resolution 3D MHD simulations at reasonable computational cost. We apply the methods to the simulation of the astrosphere of a rotating massive star moving with 30 km/s through the diffuse interstellar medium, for two different stellar magnetic field strengths, 10 G and 100 G. Features in the flow are described and compared with similar models for the Heliosphere. The shocked interstellar medium becomes asymmetric with the inclusion of a magnetic field misaligned with the stars direction of motion, with observable consequences. When the Alfvenic Mach number of the wind is $leq$10 then the stellar magnetic field begins to affect the structure of the wind bubble and features related to the magnetic axis of the star become visible at parsec scales. Prospects for predicting and measuring non-thermal radiation are discussed.
We investigate roles of magnetic activity in the Galactic bulge region in driving large-scale outflows of size $sim 10$ kpc. Magnetic buoyancy and breakups of channel flows formed by magnetorotational instability excite Poynting flux by the magnetic tension force. A three-dimensional global numerical simulation shows that the average luminosity of such Alfvenic Poynting flux is $10^{40} - 10^{41}$ erg s$^{-1}$. We examine the energy and momentum transfer from the Poynting flux to the gas by solving time-dependent hydrodynamical simulations with explicitly taking into account low-frequency Alfvenic waves of period of 0.5 Myr in a one-dimensional vertical magnetic flux tube. The Alfvenic waves propagate upward into the Galactic halo, and they are damped through the propagation along meandering magnetic field lines. If the turbulence is nearly trans-Alfv{e}nic, the wave damping is significant, which leads to the formation of an upward propagating shock wave. At the shock front, the temperature $gtrsim 5times 10^6$ K, the density $approx 6times 10^{-4}$ cm$^{-3}$, and the outflow velocity $approx 400-500$ km s$^{-1}$ at a height $approx 10$ kpc, which reasonably explain the basic physical properties of the thermal component of the Fermi bubbles.
Fermi LAT has discovered two extended gamma-ray bubbles above and below the galactic plane. We propose that their origin is due to the energy release in the Galactic center (GC) as a result of quasi-periodic star accretion onto the central black hole. Shocks generated by these processes propagate into the Galactic halo and accelerate particles there. We show that electrons accelerated up to ~10 TeV may be responsible for the observed gamma-ray emission of the bubbles as a result of inverse Compton (IC) scattering on the relic photons. We also suggest that the Bubble could generate the flux of CR protons at energies > 10^15 eV because the shocks in the Bubble have much larger length scales and longer lifetimes in comparison with those in SNRs. This may explain the the CR spectrum above the knee.
Two giant plasma lobes, known as the Fermi Bubbles, extend 10 kpc above and below the Galactic Center. Since their discovery in X-rays in 2003 (and in gamma-rays in 2010), the Bubbles have been recognized as a new morphological feature of our Galaxy and a striking example of energetic feedback from the nuclear region. They remain the subject of intense research and their origin via AGN activity or nuclear star formation is still debated. While imaging at gamma-ray, X-ray, microwave, and radio wavelengths has revealed their morphology and energetics, spectroscopy at radio and UV wavelengths has recently been used to study the kinematics and chemical abundances of outflowing gas clouds embedded in the Bubbles (the nuclear wind). Here we identify the scientific themes that have emerged from the spectroscopic studies, determine key open questions, and describe further observations needed in the next ten years to characterize the basic physical conditions in the nuclear wind and its impact on the rest of the Galaxy. Nuclear winds are ubiquitous in galaxies, and the Galactic Center represents the best opportunity to study the constitution and structure of a nuclear wind in close detail.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
