Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Feb 1987
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1987s%26w....26...74g&link_type=abstract
Sterne und Weltraum (ISSN 0039-1263), vol. 26, Feb. 1987, p. 74, 75. In German.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Astronomical Spectroscopy, Galactic Nuclei, Gamma Ray Astronomy, Milky Way Galaxy, Astronomical Maps, Electron-Positron Pairs, Galactic Radiation, Line Spectra, Starburst Galaxies
Scientific paper
The results of recent satellite and balloon-borne observations of gamma line radiation from near the Galactic center are reviewed and analyzed. Maps are provided, and both time-variable 511-keV emission (associated with electron-positron pair annihilation) and 18.1-MeV emission (from the decay of Al-26) are shown to be localized in a region only a few pc in diameter, where 3-7 solar masses of Al-26 have been produced over the last 1 Myr. The physics of the processes involved is discussed, and a theoretical model is described in which starburst activity produced the Al-26, and the positrons generated by Al-26 decay are annihilated by one of two mechanisms: (1) by neutral hydrogen in the ISM at 8000 K or less or (2) by charge-exchange positronium production in a 0.2-pc region at 10,000 K or higher (explaining the high 511-keV flux). The need for observations with more sensitive instruments (such as the Comptel being developed by NASA for the Gamma-Ray Observatory satellite) is indicated.
Graser Uwe
Klaas Ulrich
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