The Chandra Carina Complex Project: Deciphering the enigma of Carina's diffuse X-ray emission

Leisa K. Townsley; Patrick S. Broos; You Hua Chu; Marc Gagné; Gordon P. Garmire; Robert A. Gruendl; Kenji Hamaguchi; Mordecai Mark Mac Low; Thierry Montmerle; Yal Nazé; M. S. Oey; Sangwook Park; Robert Petre; Julian M. Pittard

doi:10.1088/0067-0049/194/1/15

The Chandra Carina Complex Project: Deciphering the enigma of Carina's diffuse X-ray emission

Leisa K. Townsley
, Patrick S. Broos
, You Hua Chu
, Marc Gagné
, Gordon P. Garmire
, Robert A. Gruendl
, Kenji Hamaguchi
, Mordecai Mark Mac Low
, Thierry Montmerle
, Yal Nazé
, M. S. Oey
, Sangwook Park
, Robert Petre
, Julian M. Pittard

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

53 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a 1.42 deg² mosaic of diffuse X-ray emission in the Great Nebula in Carina from the Chandra X-ray Observatory Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer camera. After removing >14,000 X-ray point sources from the field, we smooth the remaining unresolved emission, tessellate it into segments of similar apparent surface brightness, and perform X-ray spectral fitting on those tessellates to infer the intrinsic properties of the X-ray-emitting plasma. By modeling faint resolved point sources, we estimate the contribution to the extended X-ray emission from unresolved point sources and show that the vast majority of Carina's unresolved X-ray emission is truly diffuse. Line-like correlated residuals in the X-ray spectral fits suggest that substantial X-ray emission is generated by charge exchange at the interfaces between Carina's hot, rarefied plasma and its many cold neutral pillars, ridges, and clumps.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	15
Journal	Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series
Volume	194
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0067-0049/194/1/15
State	Published - May 2011

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1088/0067-0049/194/1/15

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Townsley, L. K., Broos, P. S., Chu, Y. H., Gagné, M., Garmire, G. P., Gruendl, R. A., Hamaguchi, K., Mac Low, M. M., Montmerle, T., Nazé, Y., Oey, M. S., Park, S., Petre, R., & Pittard, J. M. (2011). The Chandra Carina Complex Project: Deciphering the enigma of Carina's diffuse X-ray emission. Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series, 194(1), Article 15. https://doi.org/10.1088/0067-0049/194/1/15

@article{dfd3eb4f965a4cd88b4ea21bcda4680a,

title = "The Chandra Carina Complex Project: Deciphering the enigma of Carina's diffuse X-ray emission",

abstract = "We present a 1.42 deg2 mosaic of diffuse X-ray emission in the Great Nebula in Carina from the Chandra X-ray Observatory Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer camera. After removing >14,000 X-ray point sources from the field, we smooth the remaining unresolved emission, tessellate it into segments of similar apparent surface brightness, and perform X-ray spectral fitting on those tessellates to infer the intrinsic properties of the X-ray-emitting plasma. By modeling faint resolved point sources, we estimate the contribution to the extended X-ray emission from unresolved point sources and show that the vast majority of Carina's unresolved X-ray emission is truly diffuse. Line-like correlated residuals in the X-ray spectral fits suggest that substantial X-ray emission is generated by charge exchange at the interfaces between Carina's hot, rarefied plasma and its many cold neutral pillars, ridges, and clumps.",

author = "Townsley, \{Leisa K.\} and Broos, \{Patrick S.\} and Chu, \{You Hua\} and Marc Gagn{\'e} and Garmire, \{Gordon P.\} and Gruendl, \{Robert A.\} and Kenji Hamaguchi and \{Mac Low\}, \{Mordecai Mark\} and Thierry Montmerle and Yal Naz{\'e} and Oey, \{M. S.\} and Sangwook Park and Robert Petre and Pittard, \{Julian M.\}",

year = "2011",

month = may,

doi = "10.1088/0067-0049/194/1/15",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "194",

journal = "Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series",

issn = "0067-0049",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "1",

}

Townsley, LK, Broos, PS, Chu, YH, Gagné, M, Garmire, GP, Gruendl, RA, Hamaguchi, K, Mac Low, MM, Montmerle, T, Nazé, Y, Oey, MS, Park, S, Petre, R & Pittard, JM 2011, 'The Chandra Carina Complex Project: Deciphering the enigma of Carina's diffuse X-ray emission', Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series, vol. 194, no. 1, 15. https://doi.org/10.1088/0067-0049/194/1/15

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T1 - The Chandra Carina Complex Project

T2 - Deciphering the enigma of Carina's diffuse X-ray emission

AU - Townsley, Leisa K.

AU - Broos, Patrick S.

AU - Chu, You Hua

AU - Gagné, Marc

AU - Garmire, Gordon P.

AU - Gruendl, Robert A.

AU - Hamaguchi, Kenji

AU - Mac Low, Mordecai Mark

AU - Montmerle, Thierry

AU - Nazé, Yal

AU - Oey, M. S.

AU - Park, Sangwook

AU - Petre, Robert

AU - Pittard, Julian M.

PY - 2011/5

Y1 - 2011/5

N2 - We present a 1.42 deg2 mosaic of diffuse X-ray emission in the Great Nebula in Carina from the Chandra X-ray Observatory Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer camera. After removing >14,000 X-ray point sources from the field, we smooth the remaining unresolved emission, tessellate it into segments of similar apparent surface brightness, and perform X-ray spectral fitting on those tessellates to infer the intrinsic properties of the X-ray-emitting plasma. By modeling faint resolved point sources, we estimate the contribution to the extended X-ray emission from unresolved point sources and show that the vast majority of Carina's unresolved X-ray emission is truly diffuse. Line-like correlated residuals in the X-ray spectral fits suggest that substantial X-ray emission is generated by charge exchange at the interfaces between Carina's hot, rarefied plasma and its many cold neutral pillars, ridges, and clumps.

AB - We present a 1.42 deg2 mosaic of diffuse X-ray emission in the Great Nebula in Carina from the Chandra X-ray Observatory Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer camera. After removing >14,000 X-ray point sources from the field, we smooth the remaining unresolved emission, tessellate it into segments of similar apparent surface brightness, and perform X-ray spectral fitting on those tessellates to infer the intrinsic properties of the X-ray-emitting plasma. By modeling faint resolved point sources, we estimate the contribution to the extended X-ray emission from unresolved point sources and show that the vast majority of Carina's unresolved X-ray emission is truly diffuse. Line-like correlated residuals in the X-ray spectral fits suggest that substantial X-ray emission is generated by charge exchange at the interfaces between Carina's hot, rarefied plasma and its many cold neutral pillars, ridges, and clumps.

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SN - 0067-0049

VL - 194

JO - Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series

JF - Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series

IS - 1

M1 - 15

ER -

The Chandra Carina Complex Project: Deciphering the enigma of Carina's diffuse X-ray emission

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