ASCA View of Our Galactic Center: Remains of Past Activities in X-Rays?
Open Access
- 1 April 1996
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan
- Vol. 48 (2) , 249-255
- https://doi.org/10.1093/pasj/48.2.249
Abstract
Detailed X-ray images and spectra of the galactic-center region up to 10 keV were obtained with ASCA. Diffuse thermal-emission with distinct Kα lines from highly ionized ions of various elements has confirmed the presence of an extended high-temperature plasma. The fluorescent X-ray emission from cold iron atoms in molecular clouds was also found, possibly due to irradiation by X-rays from the center, which was bright in the past, but is presently dim. The results suggest that the galactic center exhibited intermittent activities with a time-averaged energy generation rate comparable to Seyfert nuclei, a class of active galactic nuclei.Keywords
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