Statistical Properties of the Population of the Galactic Center Filaments II: The Spacing Between Filaments

TL;DR

This study analyzes the spacing and morphology of magnetized radio filaments in the Galactic center using MeerKAT data, revealing their structures, evolution, and possible formation mechanisms over millions of years.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed statistical analysis of filament spacing and morphology, proposing models for their origin and evolution based on observational data.

Findings

Mean filament spacing peaks at ~16 arcseconds.

Filaments show diverse morphologies including harp-like and loop-like structures.

Filament spacing and width are consistent with formation via obstacle interaction or synchrotron cooling instability.

Abstract

We carry out a population study of magnetized radio filaments in the Galactic center using MeerKAT data by focusing on the spacing between the filaments that are grouped. The morphology of a sample of 43 groupings containing 174 magnetized radio filaments are presented. Many grouped filaments show harp-like, fragmented cometary tail-like, or loop-like structures in contrast to many straight filaments running mainly perpendicular to the Galactic plane. There are many striking examples of a single filament splitting into two prongs at a junction, suggestive of a flow of plasma along the filaments. Spatial variations in spectral index, brightness, bending and sharpening along the filaments indicate that they are evolving on a 10^{5-6}-year time scale. The mean spacings between parallel filaments in a given grouping peaks at $\sim16''$. We argue by modeling that the filaments in a grouping all lie on the same plane and that the groupings are isotropically oriented in 3D space. One candidate for the origin of filamentation is interaction with an obstacle, which could be a compact radio source, before a filament splits and bends into multiple filaments. In this picture, the obstacle or sets the length scale of the separation between the filaments. Another possibility is synchrotron cooling instability occurring in cometary tails formed as a result of the interaction of cosmic-ray driven Galactic center outflow with obstacles such as stellar winds. In this picture, the mean spacing and the mean width of the filaments are expected to be a fraction of a parsec, consistent with observed spacing.