Probing the Fermi Bubbles in Ultraviolet Absorption: A Spectroscopic Signature of the Milky Way's Biconical Nuclear Outflow
Abstract
Giant lobes of plasma extend ≈55° above and below the Galactic center, glowing in emission from gamma rays (the Fermi Bubbles) to microwaves and polarized radio waves. We use ultraviolet absorption-line spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope to constrain the velocity of the outflowing gas within these regions, targeting the quasar PDS 456 (l, b = 10.°4, +11.°2). This sightline passes through a clear biconical structure seen in hard X-ray and gamma-ray emission near the base of the northern Fermi Bubble. We report two high-velocity metal absorption components, at v LSR = -235 and +250 km s-1, which cannot be explained by co-rotating gas in the Galactic disk or halo. Their velocities are suggestive of an origin on the front and back side of an expanding biconical outflow emanating from the Galactic center. We develop simple kinematic biconical outflow models that can explain the observed profiles with an outflow velocity of gsim900 km s-1 and a full opening angle of ≈110° (matching the X-ray bicone). This indicates Galactic center activity over the last ≈2.5-4.0 Myr, in line with age estimates of the Fermi Bubbles. The observations illustrate the use of UV spectroscopy to probe the properties of swept-up gas venting into the Fermi Bubbles.
Based on observations taken under program 13448 of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555, and under program 14B-299 of the NRAO Green Bank Telescope, which is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.- Publication:
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The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- January 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1088/2041-8205/799/1/L7
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1412.1480
- Bibcode:
- 2015ApJ...799L...7F
- Keywords:
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- Galaxy: center;
- Galaxy: evolution;
- Galaxy: halo;
- ISM: jets and outflows;
- ISM: kinematics and dynamics;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- ApJ Letters, accepted, 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, updated from previous version with minor comments to match published version