Chandra Observations of the Evolving Core of the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253

Details Chandra Observations of the Evolving Core of the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253 Chandra Observations of the Evolving Core of the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253

2002-07-19

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0207431v1

Astrophys.J. 576 (2002) L19-L24

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

15 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters. For high-res. versions of figures please contact the au

Scientific paper

10.1086/342977

Chandra observations of the core of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 reveal a heavily absorbed source of hard X-rays embedded within the nuclear starburst region. The source has an unabsorbed, 2 to 10 keV luminosity of >=10^39 erg/s and photoionizes the surrounding gas. We observe this source through a dusty torus with a neutral absorbing column density of NH ~ 2x10^23 cm^-2. The torus is hundreds of pc across and collimates the starburst-driven nuclear outflow. We suggest that the ionizing source is an intermediate-mass black hole or a weakly accreting supermassive black hole, which may signal the beginnings or endings of AGN activity.

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