Hard X-Ray Emission from Massive Star Clusters in a Giant Molecular Cloud NGC 6334

Abstract

Abstract We report on detection with the ASCA satellite of hard X-rays from far infrared (FIR) star clusters in the giant molecular cloud (GMC) cores of the NGC 6334 star-forming region. Five FIR cores are visible in the hard X-ray band (E > 2 keV), while in the soft X-ray band (E < 2 keV) the emission is absorbed, except for one core. The observed spectra can be fitted with thermal emission from a hot plasma, whose temperature of ∼ 9 keV is significantly higher than those reported of low-mass Class I pre-main-sequence stars (PMSs) ( ∼ 3 keV) in nearby dark clouds and those of OB-type main-sequence stars (∼ 1 keV). The X-ray luminosity of each core is typically 1033 erg s−1 or 103 times that of typical low-mass PMSs. The observed hard X-rays may be emitted from young massive stars and loss-mass/intermediate-mass PMSs in the FIR cores. The observed hard X-ray flux can ionize the inner part (r ∼ 0.3 pc) of the GMC cores at a rate comparable to that by cosmic-ray particles. If the LX/M ratio of ∼ 10−5L⊙/M⊙ observed in NGC 6334 is typical among GMCs, the X-ray flux from all GMCs in the Galaxy ( ∼ 109L⊙) can account for about 20% of the diffuse galactic ridge hard X-ray emission.