Detection of large-scale X-ray bubbles in the Milky Way halo

Journal
Date Issued
2020
Author(s)
Predehl, P.
•
Sunyaev, R. A.
•
Becker, W.
•
Brunner, H.
•
Burenin, R.
•
Bykov, A.
•
Cherepashchuk, A.
•
Chugai, N.
•
Churazov, E.
•
Doroshenko, V.
•
Eismont, N.
•
Freyberg, M.
•
Gilfanov, M.
•
Haberl, F.
•
Khabibullin, I.
•
Krivonos, R.
•
Maitra, C.
•
Medvedev, P.
•
Merloni, A.
•
Nandra, K.
•
Nazarov, V.
•
Pavlinsky, M.
•
•
Sanders, J. S.
•
Sasaki, M.
•
Sazonov, S.
•
Strong, A. W.
•
Wilms, J.
DOI
Abstract
The halo of the Milky Way provides a laboratory to study the properties of the shocked hot gas that is predicted by models of galaxy formation. There is observational evidence of energy injection into the halo from past activity in the nucleus of the Milky Way1-4; however, the origin of this energy (star formation or supermassive-black-hole activity) is uncertain, and the causal connection between nuclear structures and large-scale features has not been established unequivocally. Here we report soft-X-ray-emitting bubbles that extend approximately 14 kiloparsecs above and below the Galactic centre and include a structure in the southern sky analogous to the North Polar Spur. The sharp boundaries of these bubbles trace collisionless and non-radiative shocks, and corroborate the idea that the bubbles are not a remnant of a local supernova5 but part of a vast Galaxy-scale structure closely related to features seen in γ-rays6. Large energy injections from the Galactic centre7 are the most likely cause of both the γ-ray and X-ray bubbles. The latter have an estimated energy of around 1056 erg, which is sufficient to perturb the structure, energy content and chemical enrichment of the circumgalactic medium of the Milky Way.
Volume
588
Issue
7837
Start page
227
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
0028-0836
Ads BibCode
2020Natur.588..227P
Rights
open.access
File(s)
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name

Predehl1.pdf

Description
Preprint
Size

9.5 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

46d4ca666cc1cc370d1d74cc46476140

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name

s41586-020-2979-0.pdf

Description
[Administrators only]
Size

4.63 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

ade9f9ed6f9b4941f69f3e0de971fa12