Chandra Observations of the Mice

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0303167

From: Andrew M. Read <amr@star.sr.bham.ac.uk>

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 16:17:20 GMT   (258kb)

Authors:
A. M. Read (University of Birmingham, UK)

Comments: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted by MNRAS, low-resolution figures
included, high-resolution version available at
this http URL

Presented here are high spatial and spectral resolution Chandra X-ray
observations of the famous interacting galaxy pair, the Mice, a system similar
to, though less evolved than, the well-known Antennae galaxies. Previously
unpublished ROSAT HRI data of the system are also presented. Starburst-driven
galactic winds outflowing along the minor axis of both galaxies (but
particularly the northern) are observed, and spectral and spatial properties,
and energetics are presented. That such a phenomenon can occur in such a
rapidly-evolving and turbulent system is surprising, and this is the first time
that the very beginning – the onset, of starburst-driven hot gaseous outflow in
a full-blown disk-disk merger has been seen. Point source emission is seen at
the galaxy nuclei, and within the interaction-induced tidal tails. Further
point source emission is associated with the galactic bar in the southern
system. A comparison of the source X-ray luminosity function and of the diffuse
emission properties is made with the Antennae and other galaxies, and evidence
of a more rapid evolution of the source population than the diffuse component
is found. No evidence for variability is found between the Chandra and previous
observations.

References and citations for this submission:

SLAC-SPIRES HEP (refers to ,
cited by, arXiv reformatted)