Diffuse X-Ray in the Large Magellanic Cloud: ASCA Observation
Abstract
Successive X-ray satellites, for example, Einstein Observatory and ROSAT Observatory, have observed the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and brought us excellent X-ray maps of this galaxy. The maps told us that there exists a great deal of diffuse X-ray in the main body of the LMC. One theory holds that this diffuse X-ray spreads out from the famous star forming region 30 Dor. However, the detail of the origin of the plasma is not known at all. ASCA observations have already covered the main body of the LMC. The excellent spectral resolution of ASCA which continues up to hard X-ray band shows that the diffuse X-ray emission in the LMC is thermal in origin. We investigated the spatially resolved temperature of diffuse X-ray emission and found that it did not differ much from place to place. The diffuse emission had only a soft component below ~2keV. The overall temperature was ~0.5keV around optical bar region and Super Giant Shell (SGS) LMC4 region. We further investigated the detail characteristics of the plasmas around the optical bar and SGS LMC4 region.
- Publication:
-
Star Formation 1999
- Pub Date:
- December 1999
- Bibcode:
- 1999sf99.proc...54N