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Cited by 139Astrophysical Phenomena and ObservationsAstrophysics and Cosmic PhenomenaGalaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena

An X-ray chimney extending hundreds of parsecs above and below the Galactic Centre

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Ponti, G., Hofmann, F., Churazov, E., Morris, M. R., Haberl, F., Nandra, K., Terrier, R., Clavel, M. +1 more·2019·Nature
DOI 10.1038/s41586-019-1009-6
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Abstract

Evidence has mounted in recent decades that outflows of matter and energy from the central few parsecs of our Galaxy have shaped the observed structure of the Milky Way on a variety of larger scales 1. On scales of 15 parsecs, the Galactic Centre has bipolar lobes that can be seen in both the X-ray and radio parts of the spectrum 2,3, indicating broadly collimated outflows from the centre, directed perpendicular to the Galactic plane. On larger scales, approaching the size of the Galaxy itself, γ-ray observations have revealed the so-called 'Fermi bubble' features 4, implying that our Galactic Centre has had a period of active energy release leading to the production of relativistic particles that now populate huge cavities on both sides of the Galactic plane. The X-ray maps from the ROSAT all-sky survey show that the edges of these cavities close to the Galactic plane are bright in X-rays 4-6. At intermediate scales (about 150 parsecs), radio astronomers have observed the Galactic Centre lobe, an apparent bubble of emission seen only at positive Galactic latitudes 7,8, but again indicative of energy injection from near the Galactic Centre. Here we report prominent X-ray structures on these intermediate scales (hundreds of parsecs) above and below the plane, which appear to connect the Galactic Centre region to the Fermi bubbles. We propose that these structures, which we term the Galactic Centre 'chimneys', constitute exhaust channels through which energy and mass, injected by a quasi-continuous train of episodic events at the Galactic Centre, are transported from the central few parsecs to the base of the Fermi bubbles 4.

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  • The X-ray emitting hot gas in the Hour-Glass has a density of 2 cm^-3 and a temperature of 0.7-1 keV.

    “The x-ray emitting hot gas is found to have a density of 2 cm -3 and a temperature of 0 . 7 -1 keV.”

    From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Ponti et al. 2019

    In “The Galactic Centre Chimney” (page unavailable), the paper reports a temperature of 0.7–1 keV for the inner ±15 pc bipolar lobes. It does not state a density of 2 cm⁻³ for them; for the larger Chimneys, it reports densities of about 0.2 to 0.1 cm⁻³. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The density and temperature of the hot gas are estimated to be kBT ≈ 0.7-0.8 keV (corresponding sound speed cs ≈ 450 km/s) and ~0.2 cm^-3.

    “The density and the temperature of the hot gas are estimated to be kBT ≈ 0 . 7 -0 . 8 keV (corresponding sound speed, cs ≈ 450 km s -1 ) and ∼ 0 . 2 cm -3 , respectively.”

    From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Ponti et al. 2019

    The Galactic Centre Chimney section reports kT ≈ 0.7–0.8 keV in the northern Chimney and a density of ≈0.2 cm⁻³ at 30 pc, declining to ≈0.1 cm⁻³ at 160 pc. It gives a sound speed of ≈500 km/s for the separate ±15 pc lobes, not ≈450 km/s for the Chimney gas. The claim therefore omits the density’s spatial variation and attributes a different sound-speed estimate to this source. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The similarity of thermal pressure and total energy to radio estimates suggests a common origin.

    “Indeed, the thermal pressure, p / kB ∼ 2 × 10 6 K cm -3 , and the total energy, E 450pc ∼ 4 × 10 52 erg, of the hot gas are very similar to the estimates based on the magnetic energy density and the radio recombination lines at the radio loops which further suggest a common origin (Ponti et al. 2019).”

    From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Ponti et al. 2019

    In “The Galactic Centre Chimney” (page unavailable), the paper estimates the hot gas’s thermal energy at approximately 4 × 10^52 erg and its pressure at 0.1–0.2 keV cm^-3, broadly consistent with the quoted pressure. It discusses radio structures and possible shared origins, but does not compare those pressure and energy estimates with magnetic-energy-density or radio-recombination-line estimates at radio loops, or draw a common-origin inference from such a comparison. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The pressure and total energy of the Hour-Glass hot gas are ~2×10^7 K cm^-3 and E15pc ~6×10^50 erg, respectively.

    “Therefore, the pressure and the total energy are ∼ 2 × 10 7 K cm -3 and E 15pc ∼ 6 × 10 50 erg, respectively (Muno et al. 2004; Ponti et al. 2019).”

    From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Ponti et al. 2019

    In ‘The Galactic Centre Chimney’ (page unavailable), the paper estimates the thermal energy of the ±15 pc lobes at ∼6 × 10^50 erg, matching E15pc. It does not give the claimed pressure of ∼2 × 10^7 K cm^-3 for those lobes in the available text; its stated pressure of 0.1–0.2 keV cm^-3 refers instead to the larger Chimneys. The energy estimate also assumes volume-filling X-ray gas and may be a lower limit. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Ponti et al. (2019) detected a bipolar X-ray chimney originating close to the Galactic Center and extending till b≃1° (≈150 pc) in the north and till 1.5° (≈220 pc) in the south of the Galactic plane.

    “Ponti et al. (2019) detected a bipolar X-ray chimney originating close to the GC ( ∆ l = ± 0 . 4 ◦ ( ± 60) pc) and extending till b ≃ 1 ◦ ( ≈ 150 pc) in the north and till 1 . 5 ◦ ( ≈ 220 pc) in the south of the Galactic plane (see Panel b in figure 7).”

    From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Ponti et al. 2019

    The Galactic Centre Chimney section reports X-ray structures north and south of the Galactic Centre that appear to originate near Sgr A⋆ and extend beyond one degree; it places the northern chimney’s transition at about 160 pc. It does not give the claimed southern endpoint of b≈−1.5° (≈220 pc). It also gives the breadth as ±0.4° (±50 pc), rather than ±60 pc. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Ponti, G., Hofmann, F., Churazov, E., Morris, M. R., Haberl, F., Nandra, K., Terrier, R., Clavel, M., & Goldwurm, A.
Affiliations
  • Brera Astronomical Observatory (IT)
  • Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (DE)
  • Space Research Institute (RU)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
  • Laboratoire AstroParticule et Cosmologie (FR)
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
  • Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
Corresponding author
Ponti, G.
ORCID
Venue
Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-03-20
Volume
567
Issue
7748
Pages
347-350
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/s41586-019-1009-6
OpenAlex
W2922944575
Cited by
139
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 11
FWCI
10.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Funders
Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-17-CE31-0014)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Nuclear and High Energy Physics › Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
Keywords
Fermi bubbles, X-ray cavities, ROSAT All-Sky Survey, Milky Way structure, relativistic particles

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