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Cited by 87Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, PhenomenaAstrophysical Phenomena and ObservationsAstrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena

X-ray bubbles in the circumgalactic medium of TNG50 Milky Way- and M31-like galaxies: signposts of supermassive black hole activity

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Pillepich, Annalisa, Nelson, Dylan, Truong, Nhut, Weinberger, Rainer, Martin-Navarro, Ignacio, Springel, Volker, Faber, Sandy M, Hernquist, Lars·2021·Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
DOI 10.1093/mnras/stab2779
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Abstract

The TNG50 cosmological simulation produces X-ray emitting bubbles, shells, and cavities in the circumgalactic gas above and below the stellar discs of Milky Way- and Andromeda-like galaxies with morphological features reminiscent of the eROSITA and Fermi bubbles in the Galaxy. Two-thirds of the 198 MW/M31 analogues inspected in TNG50 at z = 0 show one or more large-scale, coherent features of overpressurized gas that impinge into the gaseous halo. Some of the galaxies include a succession of bubbles or shells of increasing size, ranging from a few to many tens of kpc. These are prominent in gas pressure, X-ray emission, and gas temperature, and often exhibit sharp boundaries with typical shock Mach numbers of 2–4. The gas in the bubbles outflows with maximum (95th pctl) radial velocities of ∼100–1500 km s−1. TNG50 bubbles expand with speeds as high as 1000–2000 km s−1 (about 1–2 kpc Myr−1), but with a great diversity and with larger bubbles expanding at slower speeds. The bubble gas is at 106.4−7.2 K temperatures and is enriched to metallicities of $0.5-2~\rm Z_{\odot }$. In TNG50, the bubbles are a manifestation of episodic, kinetic, wind-like energy injections from the supermassive black holes at the galaxy centres that accrete at low Eddington ratios. According to TNG50, X-ray, and possibly γ-ray, bubbles similar to those observed in the Milky Way should be a frequent feature of disc-like galaxies prior to, or on the verge of, being quenched. They should be within the grasp of eROSITA in the local Universe.

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19 of 19 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The estimated X-ray brightness (10^-9 erg/s/cm^2/sr) is above the detection limit of the eROSITA telescope (in 0.5-2 keV band) assuming an exposure time of ∼100 ks.

    “The estimated X-ray brightness (10 -9 erg s -1 cm -2 sr -1 ) is above the detection limit of the eROSITA telescope (in 0 . 5 -2 keV band) assuming an exposure time of ∼ 100 ks.”

    From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Pillepich et al. 2021

  • Cosmological galaxy formation simulations that include some form of AGN feedback notice the presence of large ∼10-50 kpc X-ray emitting bubbles in Milky-Way type galaxies.

    “Cosmological galaxy formation simulations that include some form of AGN feedback notice the presence of large ∼ 10 -50 kpc X-ray emitting bubbles in Milky-Way type galaxies (Pillepich et al. 2021).”

    From The Fermi/eROSITA bubbles: a look into the nuclear outflow from the Milky Way (2024) · cites this paper as Pillepich et al. 2021

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Authors
Pillepich, A., Nelson, D., Truong, N., Weinberger, R., Martin-Navarro, I., Springel, V., Faber, S. M., & Hernquist, L.
Affiliations
  • Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (DE)
  • Heidelberg University (DE)
  • Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
  • Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias , Calle Via Lactea s/n, E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
  • Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (DE)
  • University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
Corresponding author
Pillepich, Annalisa
ORCID
Venue
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2021-10-07
Volume
508
Issue
4
Pages
4667-4695
ISSN
  • 0035-8711 (ISSN-L)
  • 1365-2966
DOI
10.1093/mnras/stab2779
OpenAlex
W3163771429
Cited by
87
References
19
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 5
FWCI
7.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model (vor)
Locations
  • Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (publishedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (cc-by)
Funders
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (NE 2441/1-1)
  • National Science Foundation (PHY-1748958)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena
  • 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
Keywords
X-ray bubbles, circumgalactic medium, TNG50 simulation, Milky Way-like galaxies, Fermi bubbles, eROSITA, galactic outflows, gas pressure, shock Mach number, galaxy quenching

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