Journal article · Preprint article
G359.97-0.038: A Hard X-Ray Filament Associated with a Supernova Shell-Molecular Cloud Interaction
Columbia University1
University of California at Los Angeles2
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics3
National Radio Astronomy Observatory4
Pontifícia Universidade Católica5
University of California at Berkeley6
National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark7
Astrophysics, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark8
We present the first high-energy X-ray (>10 keV) observations of the non-thermal filament G359.97-0.038 using the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). This filament is one of approximately 20 X-ray filaments of unknown origin located in the central 20 pc region in the Galactic Center near Sgr A*.
Its NuSTAR and Chandra broadband spectrum is characterized by a single power law with Γ = 1.3 ± 0.3 that extends from 2 to 50 keV, with an unabsorbed luminosity of 1.3 × 1033 erg s-1 (d/8 kpc)2 in the 2-8 keV band. Despite possessing a cometary X-ray morphology that is typical of a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) in high-resolution Chandra imaging, our spatially resolved Chandra spectral analysis found no significant spectral softening along the filament as would be expected from particle synchrotron cooling.
Coincident radio emission is detected using the Very Large Array at 5.5 and 8.3 GHz. We examine and subsequently discard a PWN or magnetic flux tube as the origin of G359.97-0.038. We use broadband spectral characteristics and a morphological analysis to show that G359.97-0.038 is likely an interaction site between the shell of Sgr A East and an adjacent molecular cloud.
This is supported by CS molecular line spectroscopy and the presence of an OH maser.
Language: | English |
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Publisher: | American Astronomical Society |
Year: | 2015 |
Pages: | 119 |
ISSN: | 15384357 and 0004637x |
Types: | Journal article and Preprint article |
DOI: | 10.1088/0004-637X/800/2/119 |
ORCIDs: | Christensen, Finn Erland , 0000-0002-1317-3328 , 0000-0003-3847-3957 , 0000-0002-9709-5389 and 0000-0003-2686-9241 |