Diffuse x-ray emission from the northern arc of loop I observed with suzaku

TL;DR

This study analyzes Suzaku X-ray data of the Loop I arc, revealing its thermal properties and suggesting it is a distant, shock-heated Galactic halo structure, contributing to understanding Galactic Center activities.

Contribution

First detailed Suzaku X-ray analysis of Loop I arc, showing its thermal characteristics and proposing it as a distant Galactic halo feature linked to past Galactic Center activity.

Findings

Loop I's thermal plasma temperature is ~0.3 keV in 'ON' regions.

The emission measure varies with Galactic latitude and correlates with ROSAT data.

Loop I is likely a distant, kpc-scale structure, not close to the Sun.

Abstract

After discovery of the Fermi bubbles, giant structures observed in radio to X-rays have been discussed as possi- ble evidence of past activities in the Galactic Center (GC). We report here on the analysis of Suzaku data pointing around the Loop I arc. The diffuse X-ray emission was well represented by the three-component model: (1) an unabsorbed thermal plasma with kT ~ 0.1 keV either from the Local Hot Bubble (LHB) and/or solar wind charge exchange (SWCX), (2) an absorbed thermal plasma regarded as a contribution from the Loop I and the Galactic halo (GH), and (3) an absorbed power-law component representing the cosmic X-ray background. The temper- ature of the absorbed thermal plasma was clustered in a range of 0.30 +- 0.02 keV along Loop I ("ON" regions), whereas the temperature was about 20 % lower in the cavity adjacent to the bubbles and Loop I ("OFF" regions) with 0.24 +- 0.03 keV. The emission measure (EM) varied along the Galactic latitude, and was well correlated with the count rate variation as measured with the ROSAT in 0.75 keV band. Although the amount of neutral gas was not conclusive to constrain on the distance to Loop I, the observed EM values rule out a hypothesis that the structure is close to the Sun; we argue that the Loop I is a distant, kpc structure of the shock-heated GH gas. We discuss the origin of apparent mismatch in the morphologies of the Fermi bubbles and the Loop I arc, suggesting a two-step explosion process in the GC.