X-ray inverse Compton emission from the radio halo of M87. Final Report, 1 November 1983-30 October 1984

Technical Report · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6287016

Feigelson, E D

A significant fraction of known galaxies contain an active galactic nucleus (AGN) at their cores, the site of violent activity and non-stellar radiation seen across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. This activity is thought to be due to the accretion of gas onto a massive black hole. A fraction of AGNs also eject collimated beams of energetic material, usually seen by virtue of its synchrotron emission in the radio band. Efforts to study these jets from AGNs in the x-ray band with the Einstein Observatory has led to several detections, most notably the jets in the nearby radio galaxies Centaurus A and Virgo A = M87. In their study of M87, Schreier, Gorenstein and Feigelson (1982) noted that, in addition to the synchrotron jet 10''-20'' from the nucleus, x-rays appear to be generated in the diffuse radio halo 2'-5' from the nucleus. This finding may be particularly important as it may constitute the first known case of x-ray inverse Compton emission from AGN ejecta, allowing for the first time direct determination of the magnetic field strengths.

• Research Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6287016
• Report Number(s): N-86-12196
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
COMPTON EFFECT
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DATA
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GALAXIES
INFORMATION
INTERACTIONS
MAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
RADIATIONS
RADIO GALAXIES
SCATTERING
SPECTRA
SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
X-RAY SPECTRA