Charge-exchange X-ray emission of M82: Kα triplets of O VII, Ne IX and Mg XI

Starburst galaxies are primary feedback sources of mechanical energy and metals, which are generally measured from associated X-ray emission lines, assuming that they are from the thermal emission of the outflowing hot gas. Such line emission, however, can also arise from the charge-exchange X-ray emission (CXE) between highly ionized ions and neutral species. To understand the feedback of energy and metals, it is crucial to determine the origin of the X-ray emission lines and to distinguish the contributions from the CXE and the thermal emission. The origin of the lines can be diagnosed by the Kα triplets of He-like ions, because the CXE favours the intercombination and forbidden lines, while the thermal emission favours the resonance line. We analyse the triplets of O VII, Ne IX and Mg XI observed in the XMM-Newton reflection grating spectra of the starburst galaxy M82. The flux contribution of the CXE is 90, 50 and 30 per cent to the O VII, Ne IX and Mg XI triplets, respectively. Averaged over all the three triplets, the contribution of the CXE is ∼50 per cent of the total observed triplet flux. To correctly understand the hot outflow of starburst galaxies, it is necessary to include the CXE. Based on the measured CXE fluxes of the O VII, Ne IX and Mg XI triplets, we estimate the relative abundances of O, Ne and Mg of the outflow and find they are similar to the solar ratios.