Chandra detection of a hot gaseous corona around the edge-on galaxy NGC 4631
- Author(s)
- Q. Daniel Wang, Stefan Immler, Rene A M Walterbos, James T. Lauroesch, Dieter Breitschwerdt
- Abstract
We present a Chandra X-ray observation that shows, unambiguously for the first time, the presence of a giant diffuse X-ray-emitting corona around the edge-on disk galaxy NGC 4631. This corona, with a characteristic thermal temperature of (2-7) × 106 K, extends as far as 8 kpc away from the galactic plane. The X-ray morphology resembles the radio halo of the galaxy, indicating a close connection between outflows of hot gas, cosmic rays, and the magnetic field from the galactic disk. Enhanced diffuse X-ray emission is apparently enclosed by numerous Ha-emitting loops blistered out from the central disk of the galaxy, as is evident in a comparison with our deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Astrophysics
- External organisation(s)
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst, New Mexico State University, University of Louisville
- Journal
- The Astrophysical Journal: an international review of astronomy and astronomical physics
- Volume
- 555
- Pages
- 99-102
- No. of pages
- 4
- ISSN
- 0004-637X
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1086/323179
- Publication date
- 2001
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103003 Astronomy
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/chandra-detection-of-a-hot-gaseous-corona-around-the-edgeon-galaxy-ngc-4631(d91ebee1-98a2-47f0-b697-048582d70822).html