X-Raying Chemical Evolution and Galaxy Formation in the Antennae

We present the integrated 411 ks {\it Chandra} ACIS-S exposure of theAntennae galaxies (NGC 4038/39). Besides a rich population of point-likesources, this spectacular image reveals a spatially and spectrally complex hotdiffuse gaseous component. For the first time we detect intense line emissionfrom Fe, Ne, Mg and Si in The Antennae, and obtain a detailed picture ofspatially varied metal abundances in the hot interstellar medium (ISM) of agalaxy. In certain regions, the abundances of $\alpha$-elements may be manytimes solar, while the Fe abundance is sub-solar or near-solar. The differencesin the local metal enrichment of the hot ISM may be related to the local starformation rates and to the degree of confinement of the enriched hot ISM. Wealso report large-scale gaseous features, including two gigantic,$\sim$10-kpc-scale `loops' extending to the South of the merging disks, and alow-surface-brightness hot halo, extending out to $\sim$18 kpc. These featuresmay be related to superwinds from the starburst in The Antennae or result fromthe merger hydrodynamics. Their long cooling times suggest that they maypersist to form the hot X-ray halo of the emerging elliptical galaxy.