Discovery of non-equilibrium ionization plasma associated with the North Polar Spur and Loop I

TL;DR

This study reveals that the plasma in the North Polar Spur and Loop I is predominantly in a non-equilibrium ionization state, leading to higher estimated temperatures and providing new insights into the structure's age and plasma conditions.

Contribution

It is the first detailed analysis showing NEI dominance in NPS/Loop I, challenging previous CIE assumptions and refining plasma temperature and age estimates.

Findings

Most plasma favors NEI over CIE.

Estimated shock age of a few Myr for NPS/Loop I.

NEI results in higher temperatures and lower emission measures.

Abstract

We investigated the detailed plasma condition of the North Polar Spur (NPS)/Loop I using archival $Suzaku$ data. In previous research collisional ionization equilibrium (CIE) have been assumed for X-ray plasma state, but we also assume non-equilibrium ionization (NEI) to check the plasma condition in more detail. We found that most of the plasma in the NPS/Loop I favors the state of NEI, and has the density-weighted ionization timescale of $n_e t\sim10^{11-12}$ s cm$^{-3}$ and the electron number density $n_e\sim$ a few $\times$ 10$^{-3}$ cm$^{-3}$. The plasma shock age, $t$, or the time elapsed after the shock front passed through the plasma, is estimated to be on the order of a few $\rm{Myr}$ for the NPS/Loop I, which puts a strict lower limit to the age of the whole NPS/Loop I structure. We found that NEI results in significantly higher temperature and lower emission measure than those currently derived under CIE assumption. The electron temperature under NEI is estimated to be as high as 0.5 keV toward the brightest X-ray NPS ridge at $\Delta\theta=-20^\circ$, which decreases to 0.3 keV at $-10^\circ$, and again increases to $\sim 0.6$ keV towards the outer edge of Loop I at $\Delta\theta\sim0^\circ$, about twice the currently estimated temperatures. Here, $\Delta \theta$ is the angular distance from the outer edge of Loop I. We discuss the implication of introducing NEI for the research in plasma states in astrophysical phenomena.