Heliospheric Solar Wind Charge Exchange Research Articles

Observations of Magnetospheric Solar Wind Charge Exchange

The study of solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) emission is vital to both the X-ray astrophysics and heliophysics communities. SWCX emission contaminates all astrophysical observations in X-rays regardless of the direction. Ignoring this contribution to X-ray spectra can lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the astrophysical plasmas along the line of sight owing to the similar spectral distributions of SWCX and several common types of more distant astrophysical plasmas. Since its discovery, the literature has distinguished between diffuse SWCX emission resulting from solar wind–neutral interactions within Earth’s magnetosphere, called magnetospheric SWCX, and similar interactions occurring more generally throughout the heliosphere, called heliospheric SWCX. Here we build on previous work validating a modeling method for the heliospheric SWCX contribution in X-ray spectra obtained with a medium-resolution CubeSat instrument named HaloSat at low ecliptic latitudes. We now apply this model to a specially designed set of extended observations with the same instrument and successfully separate the spectral contributions of the astrophysical background and the heliospheric SWCX from the remaining contributions. Specifically, we find significant excess emission for four observations in the O vii emission line not explained by other sources, possibly indicative of magnetospheric SWCX. We discuss these results in comparison with simulation results publicly available through the Community Coordinated Modeling Center. We also report an absorbed high-temperature component in 2 of the 12 fields of view analyzed.

SRG/eROSITA X-ray shadowing study of giant molecular clouds

Context. SRG/eROSITA is situated in a halo orbit around L2 where the highly variable solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) emission from Earth’s magnetosheath is expected to be negligible. The soft X-ray foreground emissions from the local hot bubble (LHB) and the remaining heliospheric SWCX emissions could be studied in unprecedented detail with eROSITA All-Sky Survey (eRASS) data in a 6-month cadence and better spectral resolution than ROSAT. Aims. We aim to use eRASS data of the sight lines towards three giant molecular clouds away from the Galactic plane to isolate and study the soft X-ray diffuse foreground emission. These X-ray shadows will serve as calibration baselines for the future three-dimensional structural study of the LHB. Methods. We conducted spectral analysis on the diffuse X-ray spectra of these clouds from the first four eRASSs to estimate and separate the heliospheric SWCX contribution from the LHB emission. Results. We find the density of the LHB to be independent of the sight line with ne ~ 4 × 10−3 cm−3, but not the temperature. We report a lower temperature of kTLHB = 0.084 ± 0.004 keV towards Chamaeleon II & III (Cha II & III) than Ophiuchus (Oph) and Corona Australis (CrA), in which we measured 0.102 ± 0.006 and 0.112 ± 0.009 keV, respectively. We measured the emission measure of the LHB to be ~2 × 10−3 cm−6 pc at medium Galactic latitudes (|b| ~ 20°). A monotonic increase in the SWCX contribution has been observed since the start of 2020, coincidental with the beginning of solar cycle 25. For Oph, SWCX has dominated the LHB in the 0.3−0.7 keV band intensity since eRASS2. We observed lower SWCX contributions in Cha II & III and CrA, consistent with the expected decreasing solar wind ion density at high heliographic latitudes.

Abundance and temperature of the outer hot circumgalactic medium

Context. Despite their vital importance to understanding galaxy evolution and our own Galactic ecosystem, our knowledge of the physical properties of the hot X-ray emitting phase of the Milky Way is still inadequate. However, sensitive SRG/eROSITA large area surveys are now providing us with the long-sought data needed to mend this state of affairs. Aims. Our aim is to constrain the properties of the Milky Way hot halo emission toward intermediate Galactic latitudes close to the Galactic anti-center. Methods. We analyzed the spectral properties of the integrated soft X-ray emission observed by eROSITA in the relatively deep eFEDS field. Results. We observe a flux of 12.6 and 5.1 × 10−12 erg cm−2 s−1 deg−2 in the total (0.3–2) and soft (0.3–0.6 keV) band. We measure the temperature and metal (oxygen) abundance of the hot circumgalactic medium (CGM) to be within kTCGM = 0.153–0.178 keV and ZCGM = 0.052–0.072 Z⊙, depending on the contribution of solar wind charge exchange (SWCX). Slightly higher CGM abundances ZCGM = 0.05–0.10 Z⊙ are possible, considering the uncertain extrapolation of the extragalactic cosmic X-ray background (CXB) emission below ~1 keV. To recover CGM abundances as high as ZCGM = 0.3 Z⊙, the presence of an additional component must be postulated, likely associated with the warm-hot intergalactic medium, providing ~15–20% of the flux in the soft X-ray band. We observe line widths of the CGM plasma smaller than Δυ ≤ 500 km s−1. The emission in the soft band is dominated (~47%) by the circumgalactic medium (CGM), whose contribution reduces to ~30% if heliospheric SWCX contributes at the level of ~15% also during solar minimum. The remaining flux is provided by the CXB (~33%) and the local hot bubble (~18%). Moreover, the eROSITA data require the presence of an additional component associated with the elusive Galactic corona plus a possible contribution from unresolved M dwarf stars. This component has a temperature of kT ~ 0.4– 0.7 keV, a considerable (~ kiloparsec) scale height, and might be out of thermal equilibrium. It contributes ~9% to the total emission in the 0.6—2 keV band, and is therefore a likely candidate to produce part of the unresolved CXB flux observed in X-ray ultra-deep fields. We also observe a significant contribution to the soft X-ray flux due to SWCX, during periods characterized by stronger solar wind activity, and causing the largest uncertainty on the determination of the CGM temperature. Conclusions. We constrain temperature, emission measure, abundances, thermal state, and spectral shape of the outer hot CGM of the Milky Way.

The soft X-ray background with Suzaku. I. Milky Way halo

Abstract We present measurements of the soft X-ray background emission for 130 Suzaku observations at 75° < l < 285° and |b| > 15° obtained from 2005 to 2015, covering nearly one solar cycle. In addition to the standard soft X-ray background model consisting of the local hot bubble and the Milky Way Halo (MWH), we include a hot collisional-ionization-equilibrium component with a temperature of ∼0.8 keV to reproduce spectra of a significant fraction of the lines of sight. Then, the scatter in the relation between the emission measure vs. temperature of the MWH component is reduced. Here, we exclude time ranges with high count rates to minimize the effect of the solar wind charge exchange (SWCX). However, the spectra of almost the same lines of sight are inconsistent. The heliospheric SWCX emissions likely contaminate and give a bias in measurements of temperature and the emission measure of the MWH. Excluding the data around the solar maximum and using the data taken before the end of 2009, at |b| > 35° and 105° < l < 255°, the temperature (0.22 keV) and emission measure (2 × 10−3 cm−6 pc) of the MWH are fairly uniform. The increase of the emission measure toward the lower Galactic latitude at |b| < 35° indicates the presence of a disk-like morphology component. A composite model which consists of disk-like and spherical-morphology components also reproduces the observed emission measure distribution of MWH. In this case, the hydrostatic mass at a few tens of kiloparsec from the Galactic center agrees with the gravitational mass of the Milky Way. The plasma with the virial temperature likely fills the Milky Way halo in nearly hydrostatic equilibrium. Assuming a gas metallicity of 0.3 solar, the upper limit of the gas mass of the spherical component out to 250 kpc, or the virial radius, is ∼ a few × 1010 M⊙.

The Solar Cycle Temporal Variation of the Solar Wind Charge Exchange X-Ray Lines

Solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) is the primary contamination of soft X-ray emission lines from the Milky Way (MW) hot gas. We report a solar cycle (≈10 yr) temporal variation of observed O vii and O viii emission line measurements in the XMM-Newton archive, which is tightly correlated with the solar cycle traced by the sunspot number (SSN). This temporal variation is expected to be associated with the heliospheric SWCX. Another observed correlation is that higher solar wind (SW) fluxes lead to higher O vii or O viii fluxes, which is due to the magnetospheric SWCX. We construct an empirical model to reproduce the observed correlation between the line measurements and the solar activity (i.e., the SW flux and the SSN). With this model we discovered a lag of yr between the O vii flux and the SSN. This time lag is a combination of the SW transit time within the heliosphere, the lag of the neutral gas distribution responding to solar activity, and the intrinsic lag between the SSN and the launch of a high-energy SW (i.e., O7+ and O8+). MW O vii and O viii fluxes have mean values of 5.4 L.U. and 1.7 L.U., which are reduced by 50% and 30%, compared to studies where the SWCX contamination is not removed. This correction also changes the determination of the density distribution and the temperature profile of the MW hot gas.

HaloSat Observations of Heliospheric Solar Wind Charge Exchange

Abstract X-ray emission from solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) produced in interplanetary space contaminates every astrophysical observation, regardless of the line of sight. Unfortunately, the primary SWCX emission lines also happen to be important diagnostics of astrophysical plasmas. Models of SWCX emission are limited by two main uncertainties: the local solar wind fluxes along the line of sight and the charge exchange cross sections. The He cone, a localized density enhancement of helium neutrals, is the only heliospheric SWCX emission feature that is small enough and bright enough to be observationally isolated from the X-ray background and the broader SWCX emission. HaloSat, an X-ray CubeSat mission, has recently completed two series of specialized observations, near and far from the ecliptic plane, during two Earth transits of the He cone. These observations were used to test the predictions of an SWCX emission model against the emission observed at low ecliptic latitude, where the solar wind data are monitored, and at high ecliptic latitude, where the solar wind data are extrapolated. The measured SWCX emission for the set of observations near the ecliptic plane was consistent with the line intensities predicted by the model but underpredicted for the set of observations at high ecliptic latitude near the south ecliptic pole. Additionally, high-temperature Galactic halo emission components are reported for both spectral sets.

REVISITING THE LOCAL LEO COLD CLOUD AND REVISED CONSTRAINTS ON THE LOCAL HOT BUBBLE

The Local Leo Cold Cloud (LLCC, at a distance of 11–24 pc) was studied in its relation to the Local Hot Bubble (LHB) and the result suggested that much of the observed $1/4$ keV emission in that direction originates in front of the cloud. This placed a strong constraint on the distribution of X-ray emission within the LHB and called into question the assumption of a uniform distribution of X-ray emitting plasma within the Local Cavity. However, recent work has quantified the contribution of heliospheric solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) emission to the diffuse X-ray background measured by the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS) at $1/4$ keV, and led to the consistency of pressure measurements between the LHB and the local cloud component of the complex of local interstellar clouds (CLICs) surrounding the Sun. In this paper we revisit the LLCC and improve the previous analysis by using higher resolution RASS data, a serendipitous ROSAT pointed observation, a rigorous treatment of the band-averaged X-ray absorption cross section, and models for the heliospheric and magnetospheric SWCX contributions. We find that the foreground emission to the cloud is in excess of the expected heliospheric (interplanetary plus near Earth) SWCX contribution but that it is marginally consistent with the range of possible LHB plasma path lengths between the LLCC and the CLICs given the currently understood plasma emissivity.

Update on modeling and data analysis of heliospheric solar wind charge exchange X‐ray emission

AbstractAbout 15 years ago, charge exchange (CX) X‐ray emission was discovered in comet observations, and was identified as the radiative decay of excited states of highly‐charge solar wind ions populated in collisions with neutral cometary material. This non‐thermal X‐ray emission mechanism is now generally acknowledged in planetary environments (e.g. Mars, Earth), as well as interstellar atoms sweeping through the heliosphere. In this paper I present the most recent improvements made in simulations of the heliospheric CX X‐ray emission. The model results are compared to X‐ray data from Suzaku, XMM‐Newton and Chandra spanning over a 10‐year period, and some conclusions are drawn on the heliospheric contribution to the diffuse soft X‐ray background. The solar system CX X‐ray sources can serve as prototypes in terms of modeling and diagnostics to more distant astrophysical objects where CX emission signatures are being discovered (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

XMM-NEWTONOBSERVATIONS OF MBM 12: MORE CONSTRAINTS ON THE SOLAR WIND CHARGE EXCHANGE AND LOCAL BUBBLE EMISSIONS

We present the first analysis of an XMM-Newton observation of the nearby molecular cloud MBM 12. We find that in the direction of MBM 12 the total O VII (0.57 keV) triplet emission is 1.8(+0.5/-0.6) photons/sq cm/s/sr (or Line Units - LU) while for the O VIII (0.65 keV) line emission we find a 3(sigma) upper limit of <1 LU. We also use a heliospheric model to calculate the O VII and O VIII emission generated by Solar Wind Charge-eXchange (SWCX) which we compare to the XMM-Newton observations. This comparison provides new constraints on the relative heliospheric and Local Bubble contributions to the local diffuse X-ray background. The heliospheric SWCX model predicts 0.82 LU for O VII, which accounts for approx. 46+/-15% of the observed value, and 0.33 LU for the O VIII line emission consistent with the XMM-Newton observed value. We discuss our results in combination with previous observations of the MBM 12 with CHANDRA and Suzaku.

Energy Spectra of the Soft X-Ray Diffuse Emission in Fourteen Fields Observed with Suzaku

Abstract The soft diffuse X-ray emission of twelve fields observed with Suzaku are presented together with two additional fields from previous analyses. All have galactic longitudes 65$^\circ $$\lt$$\ell$$\lt$ 295$^\circ $ to avoid contributions from the very bright diffuse source that extends at least 30$^\circ $ from the Galactic center. The surface brightnesses of the Suzaku nine fields for which apparently uncontaminated ROSAT All Sky Survey (RASS) were available were statistically consistent with the RASS values, with an upper limit for differences of 17 $\times$ 10$^{-6}$cs$^{-1}$arcmin$^{-2}$ in R45-band. The OVII and OVIII intensities are well correlated to each other, and OVII emission shows an intensity floor at $\sim$2 photonss$^{-1}$cm$^{-2}$str$^{-1}$ (LU). The high-latitude OVIII emission shows a tight correlation with excess of OVII emission above the floor, with (OVIII intensity) $=$ 0.5 $\times$ [(OVII intensity) $-$ 2LU], suggesting that temperatures averaged over different line-of-sight show a narrow distribution around $\sim$0.2 keV. We consider that the offset intensity of OVII arises from the Heliospheric solar wind charge exchange and perhaps from the local hot bubble, and that the excess OVII (2–7LU) is emission from more distant parts of the Galaxy. The total bolometric luminosity of this galactic emission is estimated to be 4 $\times$ 10$^{39}$ergs$^{-1}$, and its characteristic temperature may be related to the virial temperature of the Galaxy.

SOLAR WIND CHARGE EXCHANGE EMISSION FROM THE HELIUM FOCUSING CONE: MODEL TO DATA COMPARISON

A model for heliospheric solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) X-ray emission is applied to a series of XMM-Newton observations of the interplanetary focusing cone of interstellar helium. The X-ray data are from three coupled observations of the South Ecliptic Pole (SEP; to observe the cone) and the Hubble Deep Field-North (HDF-N, to monitor global variations of the SWCX emission due to variations in the solar wind (SW)) from the period 2003 November 24 to December 15. There is good qualitative agreement between the model predictions and the data, after the SEP data are corrected using the HDF-N data, with the maximum SWCX flux observed at an ecliptic longitude of ~72°, consistent with the central longitude of the He cone. We observe a total excess of 2.1 ± 1.3 line unit (LU) in the O VII line and 2.0 ± 0.9 LU in the O VIII line. However, the SWCX emission model, which was adjusted for SW conditions appropriate for late 2003, predicts an excess from the He cone of only 0.5 LU and 0.2 LU, respectively, in the O VII and O VIII lines. We discuss the model to data comparison and provide possible explanations for the discrepancies. We also qualitatively re-examine our SWCX model predictions in the keV band with data from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey toward the North Ecliptic Pole and SEP, when the He cone was probably first detected in soft X-rays.