arXiv subjects

S. Nakashima

Publications and source records attributed to S. Nakashima.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Constraints on the Chemical Enrichment History of the Perseus Cluster of Galaxies from High-Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy

High-resolution spectroscopy of the core of the Perseus Cluster of galaxies, using the $Hitomi$ satellite above 2 keV and the $XMM$-$Newton$ Reflection Grating Spectrometer at lower energies, provides reliable constraints on the abundances of O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni. Accounting for all known systematic uncertainties, the Ar/Fe, Ca/Fe, and Ni/Fe ratios are determined with a remarkable precision of less than 10%, while the constraints on Si/Fe, S/Fe, and Cr/Fe are at the 15% level, and Mn/Fe is measured with a 20% uncertainty. The average biases in determining the chemical composition using archival CCD spectra from $XMM$-$Newton$ and $Suzaku$ range typically from 15-40%. A simple model in which the enrichment pattern in the Perseus Cluster core and the proto-solar nebula are identical gives a surprisingly good description of the high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy results, with $χ^2=10.7$ for 10 d.o.f. However, this pattern is challenging to reproduce with linear combinations of existing supernova nucleosynthesis calculations, particularly given the precise measurements of intermediate $α$-elements enabled by $Hitomi$. We discuss in detail the degeneracies between various supernova progenitor models and explosion mechanisms, and the remaining uncertainties in these theoretical models. We suggest that including neutrino physics in the core-collapse supernova yield calculations may improve the agreement with the observed pattern of $α$-elements in the Perseus Cluster core. Our results provide a complementary benchmark for testing future nucleosynthesis calculations required to understand the origin of chemical elements.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Thickness-dependent electronic and magnetic properties of $γ'$-Fe$_{\mathrm 4}$N atomic layers on Cu(001)

Growth, electronic and magnetic properties of $γ'$-Fe$_{4}$N atomic layers on Cu(001) are studied by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy/magnetic circular dichroism. A continuous film of ordered trilayer $γ'$-Fe$_{4}$N is obtained by Fe deposition under N$_{2}$ atmosphere onto monolayer Fe$_{2}$N/Cu(001), while the repetition of a bombardment with 0.5 keV N$^{+}$ ions during growth cycles results in imperfect bilayer $γ'$-Fe$_{4}$N. The increase in the sample thickness causes the change of the surface electronic structure, as well as the enhancement in the spin magnetic moment of Fe atoms reaching $\sim$ 1.4 $μ_{\mathrm B}$/atom in the trilayer sample. The observed thickness-dependent properties of the system are well interpreted by layer-resolved density of states calculated using first principles, which demonstrates the strongly layer-dependent electronic states within each surface, subsurface, and interfacial plane of the $γ'$-Fe$_{4}$N atomic layers on Cu(001).

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Epitaxially stabilized iron thin films via effective strain relief from steps

We show a new way to stabilize epitaxial structures against transforming bulk stable phases for Fe thin films on a vicinal Cu(001) surface. Atomically-resolved observations by scanning tunneling microscopy reveal that high-density Cu steps serve as strain relievers for keeping epitaxially-stabilized Fe fcc(001) lattice even at a transient thickness towards the bulk stable bcc(110) lattice. Spectroscopic measurements further clarify the intrinsic electronic properties of the fcc Fe thin film in real space, implying electronic differences between 6 and 7 monolayer thick films induced by the modification of the lattice constant in the topmost layers.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Interfacial structure and electronic properties of AFM/FM magnetic multilayer revealed by Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Mixing of atoms at the interface was studied for Mn/Fe magnetic hetero-epitaxial layers on Cu(001) by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy. The formation of a surface alloy was observed when the Mn layer was thinner than 3 atomic layers. From the fourth layer, Fe segregation is suppressed, and a pure Mn surface appears. Accordingly, spectroscopic measurements revealed the electronic difference between the surface alloy and Mn layers. The surface electronic structure of the fourth Mn layer is slightly different from that of the fifth layers, which is attributed to the hybridization of the fourth layer with the underneath Fe-Mn alloy.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Galactic-Center Hyper-Shell Model for the North Polar Spurs

The bipolar-hyper shell (BHS) model for the North Polar Spurs (NPS-E, -W, and Loop I) and counter southern spurs (SPS-E and -W) is revisited based on numerical hydrodynamical simulations. Propagations of shock waves produced by energetic explosive events in the Galactic Center are examined. Distributions of soft X-ray brightness on the sky at 0.25, 0.7, and 1.5 keV in a +/-50 deg x +/-50 deg region around the Galactic Center are modeled by thermal emission from high-temperature plasma in the shock-compressed shell considering shadowing by the interstellar HI and H2 gases. The result is compared with the ROSAT wide field X-ray images in R2, 4 and 6 bands. The NPS and southern spurs are well reproduced by the simulation as shadowed dumbbell-shaped shock waves. We discuss the origin and energetics of the event in relation to the starburst and/or AGN activities in the Galactic Center. [ High resolution pdf is available at http://www.ioa.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~sofue/htdocs/2016bhs/ ]

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

Global structure of isothermal X-ray emission along the Fermi bubbles

In our previous works (Kataoka et al. 2013, Tahara et al. 2015), we found absorbed thermal X-ray plasma with kT ~ 0.3 keV observed ubiquitously near the edges of the Fermi bubbles and interpreted this emission as weakly shock-heated Galactic halo (GH) gas. Here we present a systematic and uniform analysis of archival Suzaku (29 pointings; 6 newly presented) and Swift (68 pointings; 49 newly presented) data within Galactic longitudes |l| < 20 deg and latitude 5 deg < |b| < 60 deg, covering the whole extent of the Fermi bubbles. We show that the plasma temperature is constant at kT = 0.30+-0.07 keV, while the emission measure (EM) varies by an order of magnitude, increasing toward the Galactic center (i.e., low |b|) with enhancements at the north polar spur (NPS), SE-claw and NW-clump features. Moreover, the EM distribution of kT ~ 0.30 keV plasma is highly asymmetric in the northern and southern bubbles. Although the association of the X-ray emission with the bubbles is not conclusive, we compare the observed EM properties with simple models assuming (i) a filled halo without bubbles, whose gas density follows a hydrostatic isothermal model (King profile) and (ii) a bubble-in-halo in which two identical bubbles expand into the halo forming thick shells of swept halo gas. We argue that the EM profile in the north (b > 0 deg) favors (ii), whereas that of the south (b < 0 deg) is rather close to (i), but weak excess signature is clearly detected also in the south like NPS (South Polar Spur; SPS). Such an asymmetry, if due to the bubbles, cannot be fully understood only by the inclination of bubbles' axis against the Galactic disk normal, thus suggesting asymmetric outflow due to different environmental/initial condition.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

Suzaku X-ray Observations of the Fermi Bubbles: Northernmost Cap and Southeast Claw Discovered with MAXI-SSC

We report on Suzaku observations of large-scale X-ray structures possibly related with the Fermi Bubbles obtained in 2013 with a total duration of ~ 80 ks. The observed regions were the: (i) northern cap (N-cap; l ~ 0 deg, 45 deg < b < 55 deg) seen in the Mid-band (1.7-4.0 keV) map recently provided by MAXI-SSC and (ii) southeast claw (SE-claw; l ~ 10 deg, -20 deg < b < -10 deg) seen in the ROSAT all-sky map and MAXI-SSC Low-band (0.7-1.7 keV) map. In each region, we detected diffuse X-ray emissions which are represented by a three component plasma model consisting of an unabsorbed thermal component (kT ~ 0.1 keV) from the Local Bubble, absorbed kT = 0.30+/-0.05 keV emission representing the Galactic Halo, and a power-law component due to the isotropic cosmic X-ray background radiation. The emission measure of the GH component in the SE-claw shows an excess by a factor of ~ 2.5 over the surrounding emission at 2 deg away. We also found a broad excess in the 1.7-4.0 keV count rates across the N-cap after compiling other archival data from Suzaku and Swift. The spectral stacking analysis of the N-cap data indicates the presence of another thermal component with kT = 0.70 (+0.22,-0.11) keV. The temperature of kT ~ 0.3 keV of the Galactic Halo is higher than the ubiquitous value of kT ~ 0.2 keV near the Fermi Bubbles, and can be even higher (~ 0.7 keV). We discuss our findings in the context of bubble-halo interaction.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

ASTRO-H White Paper - Plasma Diagnostic and Dynamics of the Galactic Center Region

The most characteristic high-energy phenomena in the Galactic center (GC) region is the presence of strong K-shell emission lines from highly ionized Si, S, Ar, Ca, Fe and Ni, which form the Galactic Center X-ray Emission (GCXE). These multiple lines suggest that the GCXE is composed of at least two plasmas with temperatures of ~1 and ~7 keV. The GCXE also exhibits the K-shell lines from neutral Si, S, Ar, Ca, Fe and Ni atoms. A debatable issue is the origin of the GCXE plasma; whether it is a diffuse plasma or integrated emission of many unresolved point sources such as cataclysmic variables and active binaries. Detailed spectroscopy for these lines may provide a reliable picture of the GCXE plasma. The origin of the K-shell lines from neutral atoms is most likely the fluorescence by X-rays from a putative past flare of Sgr A*. Therefore ASTRO-H may provide unprecedented data for the past light curve of Sgr A*. All these lines may provide key information for the dynamics of the GCXE, using possible Doppler shift and/or line broadening. This paper overviews these line features and the previous interpretation of their origin. We propose extended or revised science with the ASTRO-H observations of some select objects in the GC region.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

Origin of the 6.4-keV line of the Galactic Ridge X-ray Emission

We report the first results from high-statistics observation of the 6.4-keV line in the region of $l= +1.5^\circ$ to $+3.5^\circ$ (hereafter referred to as GC East), with the goal to uncover the origin of the Galactic ridge X-ray emission (GRXE). By comparing this data with that from the previous observations in the region $l=-1.5^\circ$ to $-3.5^\circ$ (hereafter referred to as GC West), we discovered that the 6.4-keV line is asymmetrically distributed with respect to the Galactic center, whereas the 6.7-keV line is symmetrically distributed. The distribution of the 6.4-keV line follows that of $^{13}$CO and its flux is proportional to the column density of the molecular gas. This correlation agrees with that seen between the 6.4-keV line and the cold interstellar medium (ISM) (H$_{\rm I}$ $+$ H$_2$) in the region $|l|>4^\circ$. This result suggests that the 6.4-keV emission is diffuse fluorescence from the cold ISM not only in GC East and West but also in the entire Galactic plane. This observational result suggests that the surface brightness of the 6.4-keV line is proportional to the column density of the cold ISM in the entire Galactic plane. For the ionizing particles, we consider X-rays and low energy cosmic-ray protons and electrons .

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2013

Discovery of the recombining plasma in the south of the Galactic center; a relic of the past Galactic center activity?

We report Suzaku results for soft X-ray emission to the south of the Galactic center (GC). The emission (hereafter "GC South") has an angular size of ~42' x 16' centered at (l, b) ~ (0.0, -1.4), and is located in the largely extended Galactic ridge X-ray emission (GRXE). The X-ray spectrum of GC South exhibits emission lines from highly ionized atoms. Although the X-ray spectrum of the GRXE can be well fitted with a plasma in collisional ionization equilibrium (CIE), that of GC South cannot be fitted with a plasma in CIE, leaving hump-like residuals at ~2.5 and 3.5 keV, which are attributable to the radiative recombination continua of the K-shells of Si and S, respectively. In fact, GC South spectrum is well fitted with a recombination-dominant plasma model; the electron temperature is 0.46 keV while atoms are highly ionized (kT = 1.6 keV) in the initial epoch, and the plasma is now in a recombining phase at a relaxation scale (plasma density x elapsed time) of 5.3 x 10^11 s cm^-3. The absorption column density of GC South is consistent with that toward the GC region. Thus GC South is likely to be located in the GC region (~8 kpc distance). The size of the plasma, the mean density, and the thermal energy are estimated to be 97 pc x 37 pc, 0.16 cm^-3, and 1.6 x 10^51 erg, respectively. We discuss possible origins of the recombination-dominant plasma as a relic of past activity in the GC region.

astro-ph.HE↗