scholarly journals A powerful flare from Sgr A* confirms the synchrotron nature of the X-ray emission

2017 ◽  
Vol 468 (2) ◽  
pp. 2447-2468 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Ponti ◽  
E. George ◽  
S. Scaringi ◽  
S. Zhang ◽  
C. Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
X Ray ◽  
Sgr A ◽  
Powerful Flare

scholarly journals Using infrared/X-ray flare statistics to probe the emission regions near the event horizon of Sgr A*

2016 ◽  
Vol 461 (1) ◽  
pp. 552-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Dibi ◽  
S. Markoff ◽  
R. Belmont ◽  
J. Malzac ◽  
J. Neilsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Event Horizon ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Sgr A

scholarly journals NEAR-INFRARED AND X-RAY QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS IN NUMERICAL MODELS OF Sgr A*

2012 ◽  
Vol 746 (1) ◽  
pp. L10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua C. Dolence ◽  
Charles F. Gammie ◽  
Hotaka Shiokawa ◽  
Scott C. Noble
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Periodic Oscillations ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Sgr A

scholarly journals Infrared/X-ray intensity variations and the color of Sgr A*

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 399-405
Author(s):  
S D Hornstein ◽  
K Matthews ◽  
A M Ghez ◽  
J R Lu ◽  
M Morris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
X Ray ◽  
Sgr A

scholarly journals Glimpses of the past activity of Sgr A★ inferred from X-ray echoes in Sgr C

2018 ◽  
Vol 610 ◽  
pp. A34 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Chuard ◽  
R. Terrier ◽  
A. Goldwurm ◽  
M. Clavel ◽  
S. Soldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Monte Carlo Model ◽  
Line Of Sight ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Supermassive Black Hole ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sgr A ◽  
Past Activity

Context. For a decade now, evidence has accumulated that giant molecular clouds located within the central molecular zone of our Galaxy reflect X-rays coming from past outbursts of the Galactic supermassive black hole. However, the number of illuminating events as well as their ages and durations are still unresolved questions. Aims. We aim to reconstruct parts of the history of the supermassive black hole Sgr A★ by studying this reflection phenomenon in the molecular complex Sgr C and by determining the line-of-sight positions of its main bright substructures. Methods. Using observations made with the X-ray observatories XMM-Newton and Chandra and between 2000 and 2014, we investigated the variability of the reflected emission, which consists of a Fe Kα line at 6.4 keV and a Compton continuum. We carried out an imaging and a spectral analysis. We also used a Monte Carlo model of the reflected spectra to constrain the line-of-sight positions of the brightest clumps, and hence to assign an approximate date to the associated illuminating events. Results. We show that the Fe Kα emission from Sgr C exhibits significant variability in both space and time, which confirms its reflection origin. The most likely illuminating source is Sgr A★. On the one hand, we report two distinct variability timescales, as one clump undergoes a sudden rise and fall in about 2005, while two others vary smoothly throughout the whole 2000–2014 period. On the other hand, by fitting the Monte Carlo model to the data, we are able to place tight constraints on the 3D positions of the clumps. These two independent approaches provide a consistent picture of the past activity of Sgr A★, since the two slowly varying clumps are located on the same wavefront, while the third (rapidly varying) clump corresponds to a different wavefront, that is, to a different illuminating event. Conclusions. This work shows that Sgr A★ experienced at least two powerful outbursts in the past 300 yrs, and for the first time, we provide an estimation of their age. Extending this approach to other molecular complexes, such as Sgr A, will allow this two-event scenario to be tested further.

scholarly journals Non-equilibrium chemistry and destruction of CO by X-ray flares

2019 ◽  
Vol 486 (1) ◽  
pp. 1094-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Mackey ◽  
Stefanie Walch ◽  
Daniel Seifried ◽  
Simon C O Glover ◽  
Richard Wünsch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Thermal Evolution ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Galactic Centre ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Uv Emission ◽  
Sgr A ◽  
X Ray Binaries ◽  
Fractal Cloud

ABSTRACT Sources of X-rays such as active galactic nuclei and X-ray binaries are often variable by orders of magnitude in luminosity over time-scales of years. During and after these flares the surrounding gas is out of chemical and thermal equilibrium. We introduce a new implementation of X-ray radiative transfer coupled to a time-dependent chemical network for use in 3D magnetohydrodynamical simulations. A static fractal molecular cloud is irradiated with X-rays of different intensity, and the chemical and thermal evolution of the cloud are studied. For a simulated $10^5\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ fractal cloud, an X-ray flux <0.01 erg cm−2 s−1 allows the cloud to remain molecular, whereas most of the CO and H2 are destroyed for a flux of ≥1 erg cm−2 s−1. The effects of an X-ray flare, which suddenly increases the X-ray flux by 105×, are then studied. A cloud exposed to a bright flare has 99 per cent of its CO destroyed in 10–20 yr, whereas it takes >103 yr for 99 per cent of the H2 to be destroyed. CO is primarily destroyed by locally generated far-UV emission from collisions between non-thermal electrons and H2; He+ only becomes an important destruction agent when the CO abundance is already very small. After the flare is over, CO re-forms and approaches its equilibrium abundance after 103–105 yr. This implies that molecular clouds close to Sgr A⋆ in the Galactic Centre may still be out of chemical equilibrium, and we predict the existence of clouds near flaring X-ray sources in which CO has been mostly destroyed but H is fully molecular.

scholarly journals Colliding winds in and around the stellar group IRS 13E at the galactic centre

2019 ◽  
Vol 492 (2) ◽  
pp. 2481-2496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q Daniel Wang ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Christopher M P Russell ◽  
Jorge Cuadra
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Emission ◽  
Ambient Medium ◽  
Velocity Spread ◽  
Galactic Centre ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Stellar Group ◽  
Cool Gas ◽  
Sgr A ◽  
Colliding Winds ◽  
Projected Distance

ABSTRACT IRS 13E is an enigmatic compact group of massive stars located in projection only 3.6 arcsec away from Sgr A*. This group has been suggested to be bounded by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). We present a multiwavelength study of the group and its interplay with the environment. Based on Chandra observations, we find the X-ray spectrum of IRS 13E can be well characterized by an optically thin thermal plasma. The emission peaks between two strongly mass-losing Wolf–Rayet stars of the group. These properties can be reasonably well reproduced by simulated colliding winds of these two stars. However, this scenario underpredicts the X-ray intensity in outer regions. The residual emission likely results from the ram-pressure confinement of the IRS 13E group wind by the ambient medium and is apparently associated with a shell-like warm gas structure seen in Pa α and in ALMA observations. These latter observations also show strongly peaked thermal emission with unusually large velocity spread between the two stars. These results indicate that the group is colliding with the bar of the dense cool gas mini-spiral around Sgr A*. The extended X-ray morphology of IRS 13E and its association with the bar further suggest that the group is physically much farther away than the projected distance from Sgr A*. The presence of an IMBH, while favourable to keep the stars bound together, is not necessary to explain the observed stellar and gas properties of IRS 13E.

scholarly journals The central cluster and X-ray emission from Sgr A*

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S238) ◽  
pp. 347-348
Author(s):  
Robert F. Coker ◽  
Julian M. Pittard
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Stellar Winds ◽  
Solar Mass ◽  
Hydrodynamic Simulations ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Central Cluster ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Early Type Stars ◽  
Sgr A ◽  
Hydrodynamic Data

AbstractAt the centre of the Milky Way is Sgr A*, a putative 3 million solar mass black hole with an observed luminosity that is orders of magnitude smaller than that expected from simple accretion theories. The number density of early-type stars is quite high near Sgr A*, so the ensemble of their stellar winds has a significant impact on the black hole's environment.We present results of 3D hydrodynamic simulations of the accretion of stellar winds onto Sgr A*. Using the LANL/SAIC code, RAGE, we model the central arc-second of the Galaxy, including the central cluster stars (the S-stars) with orbits and wind parameters that match observations. A significant fraction of the winds from the S stars becomes gravitationally bound to the black hole and thus could provide enough hot gas to produce the X-ray emission seen by Chandra. We perform radiative transfer calculations on the 3D hydrodynamic data cubes and present the resulting synthetic X-ray spectrum.

scholarly journals ACHANDRA/HETGS CENSUS OF X-RAY VARIABILITY FROM Sgr A* DURING 2012

2013 ◽  
Vol 774 (1) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Neilsen ◽  
M. A. Nowak ◽  
C. Gammie ◽  
J. Dexter ◽  
S. Markoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
X Ray ◽  
Sgr A

scholarly journals The Nature of the 10 kilosecond X-ray flare in Sgr A*

2001 ◽  
Vol 379 (1) ◽  
pp. L13-L16 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Markoff ◽  
H. Falcke ◽  
F. Yuan ◽  
P. L. Biermann
Keyword(s):  
X Ray ◽  
Sgr A

scholarly journals V4046 Sgr: X-rays from accretion shock

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (S302) ◽  
pp. 46-47
Author(s):  
C. Argiroffi ◽  
A. Maggio ◽  
T. Montmerle ◽  
D. Huenemoerder ◽  
E. Alecian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tauri Star ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Accretion Flows ◽  
T Tauri ◽  
Different Temperatures ◽  
Sgr A ◽  
Star Binary ◽  
Accretion Shock ◽  
Density Plasma

AbstractWe present results of the X-ray monitoring of V4046 Sgr, a close classical T Tauri star binary, with both components accreting material. The 360 ks long XMM observation allowed us to measure the plasma densities at different temperatures, and to check whether and how the density varies with time. We find that plasma at temperatures of 1–4 MK has high densities, and we observe correlated and simultaneous density variations of plasma, probed by O VII and Ne IX triplets. These results strongly indicate that all the inspected He-like triplets are produced by high-density plasma heated in accretion shocks, and located at the base of accretion flows.

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