Abstract
The ASCA spectrum of M82 is fit by three components: a soft component (0.32 keV), a medium one (0.95 keV), and a hard one (13.8 keV). The presence of line emission indicates that the soft and the medium components are due to gas heated by the starburst activity. The abundances of O, Ne, Mg, Si and S are lower than the solar values and the abundance ratios cannot be reproduced by a combination of SN Ia and II. Imaging analysis shows the hard component is point-like, but the soft and medium components are extended. Long term variability from Uhuru to ASCA by a factor of 2 ∼ 4 is detected in the hard component. Additionally, the temperature of the hard component obtained with ASCA is 13.8 keV, significantly higher than the Ginga value of 5.75 keV. These results suggest that M82 may contain a nuclear activity similar to that seen in AGN.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 218-220 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Revista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica: Serie de Conferencias |
| Volume | 6 |
| State | Published - 1997 |
| Event | 1st Guillermo Haro Conference on Astrophysics: Starburst Activity in Galaxies - Puebla, PUE, Mexico Duration: Apr 29 1996 → May 3 1996 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Space and Planetary Science
- Astronomy and Astrophysics