arXiv · astro-ph/0101271
The X-ray Emission in Post-Merger Ellipticals
Abstract
The evolution in X-ray properties of early-type galaxies is largely unconstrained. In particular, little is known about how, and if, remnants of mergers generate hot gas halos. Here we examine the relationship between X-ray luminosity and galaxy age for a sample of early-type galaxies. Comparing normalized X-ray luminosity to three different age indicators we find that L_X/L_B increases with age, suggesting an increase in X-ray halo mass with time after a galaxy's last major star-formation episode. The long-term nature of this trend, which appears to continue across the full age range of our sample, poses a challenge for many models of hot halo formation. We conclude that models involving a declining rate of type Ia supernovae, and a transition from outflow to inflow of the gas originally lost by galactic stars, offers the most promising explanation for the observed evolution in X-ray luminosity.
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Ewan O'Sullivan, Duncan A. Forbes, Trevor J. Ponman. 2001-01-16. The X-ray Emission in Post-Merger Ellipticals. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04340.x
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