Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2009-03-24
Astrophys.J.697:2030-2056,2009
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 29 pages, 12 figures
Scientific paper
10.1088/0004-637X/697/2/2030
We measure the net energy efficiency of supernova and stellar wind feedback in the starburst galaxy M82 and the degree of mass-loading of the hot gas piston driving its superwind by comparing a large suite of 1 and 2-dimensional hydrodynamical models to a set of observational constraints derived from hard X-ray observations of the starburst region (the fluxes of the He-alpha and Ly-alpha-like lines of S, Ar, Ca and Fe, along with the total diffuse E=2--8 keV X-ray luminosity). These are the first direct measurements of the feedback efficiency and mass-loading of supernova heated and enriched plasma in a starburst galaxy. All the models that satisfy the existing observational constraints have medium to high thermalization efficiencies (30% <= epsilon <= 100$%) and the volume-filling wind fluid that flows out of the starburst region is only mildly centrally mass loaded (1.0 <= beta <= 2.8). These results imply a temperature of the plasma within the starburst region in the range 30--80 million Kelvin, a mass flow rate of the wind fluid out of the starburst region of Mdot_tot ~ 1.4--3.6 Msol/yr and a terminal velocity of the wind in the range v_infinity = 1410--2240 km/s. This velocity is considerably larger than the escape velocity from M82 (v_esc <~ 460 km/s) and the velocity of the H-alpha emitting clumps and filaments within M82's wind (v_H-alpha ~ 600 km/s). Drawing on these results we provide a prescription for implementing starburst-driven superwinds in cosmological models of galaxy formation and evolution. (Abridged)
Heckman Timothy M.
Strickland David K.
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