Open AccessChandraObservations of Extended X‐Ray Emission in Arp 220
Author(s) -
Jonathan McDowell,
D. L. Clements,
S. A. Lamb,
S. Shaked,
N. Hearn,
L. Colina,
C. G. Mundell,
K. D. Borne,
A. C. Baker,
S. Arribas
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the astrophysical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.376
H-Index - 489
eISSN - 1538-4357
pISSN - 0004-637X
DOI - 10.1086/375289
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , galaxy , context (archaeology) , line (geometry) , astronomy , infrared , emission spectrum , plasma , spectral line , geometry , geology , quantum mechanics , paleontology , mathematics
We resolve the extended X-ray emission from the prototypical ultraluminousinfrared galaxy Arp 220. Extended, faint edge-brightened, soft X-ray lobesoutside the optical galaxy are observed to a distance of 10 to 15 kpc on eachside of the nuclear region. Bright plumes inside the optical isophotes coincidewith the optical line emission and extend 11 kpc from end to end across thenucleus. The data for the plumes cannot be fit by a single temperature plasma,and display a range of temperatures from 0.2 to 1 keV. The plumes emerge frombright, diffuse circumnuclear emission in the inner 3 kpc centered on theHalpha peak, which is displaced from the radio nuclei. There is a closemorphological correspondence between the Halpha and soft X-ray emission on allspatial scales. We interpret the plumes as a starburst-driven superwind, anddiscuss two interpretations of the emission from the lobes in the context ofsimulations of the merger dynamics of Arp 220.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; see also astro-ph/0208477 (Paper 1
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