On the Influence of Supernova Remnant Thermal Energy in Powering Galactic Winds

Abstract

The fundamental tenet of the classical supernovae-driven wind model of elliptical galaxies is that the residual thermal energy of all supernovae remnants (SNRs) provide sufficient energy to overcome the binding energy of the remaining interstellar gas, thereby driving a global galactic wind. We re-examine model predictions of this epoch of wind ejection t_GW, highlighting a heretofore underappreciated sensitivity to the adopted remnant thermal energy formalism, and illustrating cases in which previous work may have substantially overestimated t_GW. Arguments based upon chemical evolution alone, put forth to reject the hypothesis of dark matter distributions similar to the luminous component in spheroids, are shown to be tenuous. Finally, the predicted enrichment of intracluster gas during the wind phase of cluster ellipticals, and its relation to the selected SNR interior thermal energy evolutionary scheme, is addressed. Despite the success of previous wind models, our results still call into question the correctness of the simple analytical approach used thus far, and imply that a more appropriate technique should be adopted in the future.