Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T08:22:22.021Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Confronting feedback simulations with observations of hot gas in elliptical galaxies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2010

Q. Daniel Wang*
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA email: wqd@astro.umass.edu
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Elliptical galaxies comprise primarily old stars, which collectively generate a long-lasting feedback via stellar mass-loss and Type Ia SNe. This feedback can be traced by X-ray-emitting hot gas in and around such galaxies, in which little cool gas is typically present. However, the X-ray-inferred mass, energy, and metal abundance of the hot gas are often found to be far less than what are expected from the feedback, particularly in so-called low LX/LB ellipticals. This “missing” stellar feedback is presumably lost in galaxy-wide outflows, which can play an essential role in galaxy evolution (e.g., explaining the observed color bi-modality of galaxies). We are developing a model that can be used to properly interpret the X-ray data and to extract key information about the dynamics of the feedback and its interplay with galactic environment.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2010