arXiv subjects

Yoshitaka Ishisaki

Publications and source records attributed to Yoshitaka Ishisaki.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Suzaku X-Ray Observations of the Accreting NGC 4839 Group of Galaxies and the Radio Relic in the Coma Cluster

Based on Suzaku X-ray observations, we study the hot gas around the NGC4839 group of galaxies and the radio relic in the outskirts of the Coma cluster. We find a gradual decline in the gas temperature from 5 keV around NGC4839 to 3.6 keV at the radio relic, across which there is a further, steeper drop down to 1.5 keV. This drop as well as the observed surface brightness profile are consistent with a shock with Mach number M = 2.2 pm 0.5 and velocity vs = (1410 pm 110) km s^-1. A lower limit of B > 0.33 mu G is derived on the magnetic field strength around the relic from upper limits to inverse Compton X-ray emission. Although this suggests that the non-thermal electrons responsible for the relic are generated by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA), the relation between the measured Mach number and the electron spectrum inferred from radio observations are inconsistent with that expected from the simplest, test-particle theory of DSA. Nevertheless, DSA is still viable if it is initiated by the injection of a pre-existing population of non-thermal electrons. Combined with previous measurements, the temperature profile of Coma in the southwest direction is shallower outside NGC4839 and also slightly shallower in the outermost region. The metal abundance around NGC4839 is confirmed to be higher than in its vicinity, implying a significant peak in the abundance profile that decreases to 0.2 solar toward the outskirts. We interpret these facts as due to ram pressure stripping of metal-enriched gas from NGC4839 as it falls into Coma. The relic shock may result from the combined interaction of pre-existing intracluster gas, gas associated with NGC 4839, and cooler gas flowing in from the large-scale structure filament in the southwest.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range, from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12 keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the 40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science themes.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2011

X-Ray View of the Shock Front in the Merging Cluster Abell 3376 with Suzaku

We report on a Suzaku measurement of the shock feature associated with the western radio relic in the merging cluster A3376. The temperature profile is characterized by an almost flat radial shape with kT ~ 4 keV within 0.5 r200 and a rise by about 1 keV inside the radio relic. Across the relic region (0.6-0.8 r200), the temperature shows a remarkable drop from about 4.7 keV to 1.3 keV. This is a clear evidence that the radio relic really corresponds to a shock front possibly caused by a past major merger. The observed sharp changes of the temperature and electron density indicate the Mach number M~3. The radial entropy profile is flatter than the prediction (r^1.1) of numerical simulations within 0.5 r200}, and becomes steeper around the relic region. These observed features and time-scale estimation consistently imply that the ICM around the radio relic has experienced a merger shock and is in the middle of the process of dynamical and thermal relaxation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2010

The ASTRO-H Mission

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy universe by performing high-resolution, high-throughput spectroscopy with moderate angular resolution. ASTRO-H covers very wide energy range from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. ASTRO-H allows a combination of wide band X-ray spectroscopy (5-80 keV) provided by multilayer coating, focusing hard X-ray mirrors and hard X-ray imaging detectors, and high energy-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy (0.3-12 keV) provided by thin-foil X-ray optics and a micro-calorimeter array. The mission will also carry an X-ray CCD camera as a focal plane detector for a soft X-ray telescope (0.4-12 keV) and a non-focusing soft gamma-ray detector (40-600 keV) . The micro-calorimeter system is developed by an international collaboration led by ISAS/JAXA and NASA. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution of Delta E ~7 eV provided by the micro-calorimeter will enable a wide variety of important science themes to be pursued.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2010

Metallicity of the Fossil Group NGC 1550 Observed with Suzaku

We studied the temperature and metal abundance distributions of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) in a group of galaxies NGC 1550 observed with Suzaku. The NGC 1550 is classified as a fossil group, which have few bright member galaxies except for the central galaxy. Thus, such a type of galaxy is important to investigate how the metals are enriched to the ICM. With the Suzaku XIS instruments, we directly measured not only Si, S, and Fe lines but also O and Mg lines and obtained those abundances to an outer region of ~0.5 r_180 for the first time, and confirmed that the metals in the ICM of such a fossil group are indeed extending to a large radius. We found steeper gradients for Mg, Si, S, and Fe abundances, while O showed almost flat abundance distribution. Abundance ratios of alpha-elements to Fe were similar to those of the other groups and poor clusters. We calculated the number ratio of type II to type Ia supernovae for the ICM enrichment to be 2.9 +- 0.5 within 0.1 r_180, and the value was consistent with those for the other groups and poor clusters observed with Suzaku. We also calculated metal mass-to-light ratios (MLRs) for Fe, O and Mg with B-band and K-band luminosities of the member galaxies of NGC 1550. The derived MLRs were comparable to those of NGC 5044 group in the r<0.1 r_180 region, while those of NGC 1550 are slightly higher than those of NGC 5044 in the outer region.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2008

New CTI Correction Method for the Spaced-Row Charge Injection of the Suzaku X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer

The charge transfer inefficiency (CTI) of the X-ray CCDs on board the Suzaku satellite (X-ray Imaging Spectrometers; XIS) has increased since the launch due to radiation damage, and the energy resolution has been degraded. To improve the CTI, we have applied a spaced-row charge injection (SCI) technique to the XIS in orbit; by injecting charges into CCD rows periodically, the CTI is actively decreased. The CTI in the SCI mode depends on the distance between a signal charge and a preceding injected row, and the pulse height shows periodic positional variations. Using in-flight data of onboard calibration sources and of the strong iron line from the Perseus cluster of galaxies, we studied the variation in detail. We developed a new method to correct the variation. By applying the new method, the energy resolution (FWHM) at 5.9 keV at March 2008 is ~155 eV for the front-illuminated CCDs and ~175 eV for the back-illuminated CCD.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Energy-Scale Calibration of the Suzaku X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer Using the Checker Flag Charge Injection Technique in Orbit

The X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) on board the Suzaku satellite is an X-ray CCD camera system that has superior performance such as a low background, high quantum efficiency, and good energy resolution in the 0.2-12 keV band. Because of the radiation damage in orbit, however, the charge transfer inefficiency (CTI) has increased, and hence the energy scale and resolution of the XIS has been degraded since the launch of July 2005. The CCD has a charge injection structure, and the CTI of each column and the pulse-height dependence of the CTI are precisely measured by a checker flag charge injection (CFCI) technique. Our precise CTI correction improved the energy resolution from 230 eV to 190 eV at 5.9 keV in December 2006. This paper reports the CTI measurements with the CFCI experiments in orbit. Using the CFCI results, we have implemented the time-dependent energy scale and resolution to the Suzaku calibration database.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Suzaku Observation of Group of Galaxies NGC 507: Temperature and Metal Distributions in the Intra-cluster Medium

Temperature and abundance distributions of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) in the NGC 507 group of galaxies were studied with Suzaku. Observed concentric annular spectra were well-represented by a two temperature model for ICM, and we found steeper abundance gradients for Mg, Si, S, and Fe compared with O in the central region. Abundance ratios of alpha-elements to iron were found to be similar to those in other groups and poor clusters. We calculated metal mass-to-light ratios for Fe, O and Mg (IMLR, OMLR, MMLR) for NGC 507, and values for different systems were compared. Hotter and richer systems tend to show higher values of IMLR, OMLR, and MMLR. OMLR and MMLR were measured to an outer region for the first time with Suzaku, while IMLR was consistent with that with ASCA. We also looked into 2-dimensional map of the hardness ratio, but found no significant deviation from the circular symmetry.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Restoring the Suzaku Source Position Accuracy and Point-Spread Function

We present an empirical correction of sky coordinates of X-ray photons obtained with the XIS aboard the Suzaku satellite to improve the source position accuracy and restore the point-spread function (PSF). The XIS images are known to have an uncertainty in position of up to 1 arcmin, and to show considerable degradations of the PSF. These problems are caused by a drifting of the satellite attitude due to thermal distortion of the side panel 7, where the attitude control system is mounted. We found that the position error averaged over a pointing observation can be largely reduced by using the relation between the deviation of the source position in the DETX direction and the ecliptic latitude of the pointing target. We parameterized the wobbling of the source position synchronized with the satellite orbital period with temperatures of onboard radiators and elapsed time since the night-day transition of the spacecraft. We developed software, aeattcor, to correct the image drift using these parameters, and applied it to 27 point-source images. We show that the radius of the 90% error circle of the source position was reduced to 19 arcsec and the PSF was sharpened. These improvements have enhanced the scientific capability of the Suzaku XIS.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Reproducibility of Non-X-ray Background for the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer aboard Suzaku

One of the advantages of the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) system on board Suzaku is its low and stable non-X-ray background (NXB). In order to make the best use of this advantage, modeling the NXB spectra with high accuracy is important to subtract them from the spectra of on-source observations. We construct an NXB database by collecting XIS events when the dark Earth covers the XIS FOV. The total exposure time of the NXB data is about 785 ks for each XIS. It is found that the count rate of the NXB anti-correlates with the cut-off-rigidity and correlates with the count rate of the PIN upper discriminator (PIN-UD) in Hard X-ray Detector on board Suzaku. We thus model the NXB spectrum for a given on-source observation by employing either of these parameters and obtain a better reproducibility of the NXB for the model with PIN-UD than that with the cut-off-rigidity. The reproducibility of the NXB model with PIN-UD is 4.55-5.63% for each XIS NXB in the 1-7 keV band and 2.79-4.36% for each XIS NXB in the 5-12 keV band for each 5 ks exposure of the NXB data. This NXB reproducibility is much smaller than the spatial fluctuation of the cosmic X-ray background in the 1-7 keV band, and is almost comparable to that in the 5-12 keV band.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

In Orbit Timing Calibration of the Hard X-Ray Detector on Board Suzaku

The hard X-ray detector (HXD) on board the X-ray satellite Suzaku is designed to have a good timing capability with a 61 $μ$s time resolution. In addition to detailed descriptions of the HXD timing system, results of in-orbit timing calibration and performance of the HXD are summarized. The relative accuracy of time measurements of the HXD event was confirmed to have an accuracy of $1.9\times 10^{-9}$ s s$^{-1}$ per day, and the absolute timing was confirmed to be accurate to 360 $μ$s or better. The results were achieved mainly through observations of the Crab pulsar, including simultaneous ones with RXTE, INTEGRAL, and Swift.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Suzaku Observation of HCG 62: Temperature, Abundance, and Extended Hard X-ray Emission Profiles

We present results of 120 ks observation of a compact group of galaxies HCG~62 ($z=0.0145$) with Suzaku XIS and HXD-PIN\@. The XIS spectra for four annular regions were fitted with two temperature {\it vapec} model with variable abundance, combined with the foreground Galactic component. The Galactic component was constrained to have a common surface brightness among the four annuli, and two temperature {\it apec} model was preferred to single temperature model. We confirmed the multi-temperature nature of the intra-group medium reported with Chandra and XMM-Newton, with a doughnut-like high temperature ring at radii 3.3--6.5$'$ in a hardness image. We found Mg, Si, S, and Fe abundances to be fairly robust. We examined the possible ``high-abundance arc'' at $\sim 2'$ southwest from the center, however Suzaku data did not confirm it. We suspect that it is a misidentification of an excess hot component in this region as the Fe line. Careful background study showed no positive detection of the extended hard X-rays previously reported with ASCA, in 5--12 keV with XIS and 12--40 keV with HXD-PIN, although our upper limit did not exclude the ASCA result. There is an indication that the X-ray intensity in $r<3.3'$ region is $70\pm 19$% higher than the nominal CXB level (5--12 keV), and Chandra and Suzaku data suggest that most of this excess could be due to concentration of hard X-ray sources with an average photon index of $Γ=1.38\pm 0.06$. Cumulative mass of O, Fe and Mg in the group gas and the metal mass-to-light ratio were derived and compared with those in other groups. Possible role of AGN or galaxy mergers in this group is also discussed.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Type Ia and II supernovae contributions to the metal enrichment in intra-cluster medium observed with Suzaku

We studied the properties of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) in two clusters of galaxies (AWM 7 and Abell 1060) and two groups (HCG 62 and NGC 507) with the X-ray Observatory Suzaku. Based on spatially resolved energy spectra, we measured for the first time precise cumulative ICM metal masses within 0.1 and ~0.3 r_{180}. Comparing our results with supernova nucleosynthesis models, the number ratio of type II (SNe II) to type Ia (SNe Ia) is estimated to be ~3.5, assuming the metal mass in the ICM is represented by the sum of products synthesized in SNe Ia and SNe II. Normalized by the K-band luminosities of present galaxies, and including the metals in stars, the integrated number of past SNe II explosions is estimated to be close to or somewhat higher than the star formation rate determined from Hubble Deep Field observations.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Suzaku Observations of AWM 7 Cluster of Galaxies: Temperature, Abundance and Bulk Motions

We carried out 3 observations of the cluster of galaxies AWM 7, for the central region and 20'-east and 20'-west offset regions, with Suzaku. Temperature and abundance profiles are measured out to 27'~ 570 /h_70 kpc, which corresponded to ~0.35 r_180. The temperature of the intra-cluster medium (ICM) slightly decreases from 3.8 keV at the center to 3.4 keV in ~0.35 r_180 region, indicating a flatter profile than those in other nearby clusters. Abundance ratio of Si to Fe is almost constant in our observation, while Mg to Fe ratio increases with radius from the cluster center. O to Fe ratio in the west region shows increase with radius, while that in the east region is almost flat, though the errors are relatively large. These features suggest that the enrichment process is significantly different between products of type II supernovae (O and Mg) and those by type Ia supernovae (Si and Fe). We also examined positional shift of the central energy of He-like Fe-Ka line, in search of possible rotation of the ICM. The 90% upper limit for the line-of-sight velocity difference was derived to be v ~ 2000 km/s, suggesting that the ellipticity of AWM 7 is rather caused by a recent directional infall of the gas along the large-scale filament.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

X-Ray Study of Temperature and Abundance Profiles of the Cluster of Galaxies Abell 1060 with Suzaku

We carried out observations of the central and 20' east offset regions of the cluster of galaxies Abell 1060 with Suzaku. Spatially resolved X-ray spectral analysis has revealed temperature and abundance profiles of Abell 1060 out to 27' ~ 380; /h_70 kpc, which corresponded to ~ 0.25; r_180. Temperature decrease of the intra cluster medium from 3.4 keV at the center to 2.2 keV in the outskirt region are clearly observed. Abundances of Si, S and Fe also decrease by more than 50% from the center to the outer, while Mg shows fairly constant abundance distribution at ~ 0.7 solar within r < 17'. O shows lower abundance of ~ 0.3 solar in the central region (r~ 6'), and indicates a similar feature with Mg, however it is sensitive to the estimated contribution of the Galactic components of kT_1 ~ 0.15 keV and kT_2 ~ 0.7 keV in the outer annuli (r ~ 13'). Systematic effects due to the point spread function tails, contamination on the XIS filters, instrumental background, cosmic and/or Galactic X-ray background, and the assumed solar abundance tables are carefully examined. Results on temperature and abundances of Si, S, and Fe are consistent with those derived by XMM-Newton at r < 13'. Formation and metal enrichment process of the cluster are discussed based on the present results.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Evidence for Solar-Wind Charge-Exchange X-Ray Emission from the Earth's Magnetosheath

We report an apparent detection of the C VI 4p to 1s transition line at 459 eV, during a long-term enhancement (LTE) in the Suzaku north ecliptic pole (NEP) observation of 2005 September 2. The observed intensity of the line is comparable to that of the C VI 2p to 1s line at 367 eV. This is strong evidence for the charge-exchange process. In addition to the C VI lines, emission lines from O VII, O VIII, Ne X, and Mg XI lines showed clear enhancements. There are also features in the 750 to 900 eV range that could be due to some combination of Fe XVII and XVIII L-lines, higher order transitions of O VIII (3p to 1s and 6p to 1s), and a Ne IX line. From the correlation of the X-ray intensity with solar-wind flux on time scales of about half a day, and from the short-term (~10 minutes) variations of the X-ray intensity, these lines most likely arise from solar-wind heavy ions interacting with neutral material in the Earth's magnetosheath. A hard power-law component is also necessary to explain the LTE spectrum. The origin of this component is not yet known. Our results indicate that solar activity can significantly contaminate Suzaku cosmic X-ray spectra below ~1 keV. Recommendations are provided for recognizing such contamination in observations of extended sources.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Chandra and XMM-Newton Observations of a Group of Galaxies HCG 62

We present results from Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the bright group of galaxies HCG 62. There are two cavities at about 30'' northeast and 20'' southwest of the central galaxy in the Chandra image. The energy spectrum shows no significant change in the cavity compared with that in the surrounding region. The radial X-ray profile is described by a sum of 3-beta components with core radii about 2, 10, and 160 kpc, respectively. We studied radial distributions of temperature and metal abundance with joint spectral fit for the Chandra and XMM-Newton data, and two temperatures were required in the inner r< 2' (35 kpc) region. The sharp drop of temperature at r about 5' implies the gravitational mass density even lower than the gas density, suggesting the gas may not be in hydrostatic equilibrium. Fe and Si abundances are 1-2 solar at the center and drop to about 0.1 solar at r about 10'. O abundance is less than 0.5 solar and shows a flatter profile. Observed metal distribution supports the view that iron and silicon are produced by type Ia supernova in the central galaxy, while galactic winds by type II supernova have caused wide distribution of oxygen. The supporting mechanism of the cavity is discussed. Pressure for the sum of electrons and magnetic field is too low to displace the hot group gas, and the required pressure due to high energy protons are nearly 700 times higher than the electron pressure. This leaves the origin of the cavities a puzzle, and we discuss other possible origins of the cavities.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

X-ray Spectral Study of the Photoionized Stellar Wind in Vela~X-1

We present results from quantitative modeling and spectral analysis of the high mass X-ray binary Vela X-1 obtained with the Chandra HETGS. The spectra exhibit emission lines from H-like and He-like ions driven by photoionization, as well as fluorescent emission lines from several elements in lower charge states. In order to interpret and make full use of the high-quality data, we have developed a simulator, which calculates the ionization and thermal structure of a stellar wind photoionized by an X-ray source, and performs Monte Carlo simulations of X-ray photons propagating through the wind. The emergent spectra are then computed as a function of the viewing angle accurately accounting for photon transport in three dimensions including dynamics. From comparisons of the observed spectra with the simulation results, we are able to find the ionization structure and the geometrical distribution of material in Vela X-1 that can reproduce the observed spectral line intensities and continuum shapes at different orbital phases remarkably well. It is found that a large fraction of X-ray emission lines from highly ionized ions are formed in the region between the neutron star and the companion star. We also find that the fluorescent X-ray lines must be produced in at least three distinct regions --(1)the extended stellar wind, (2)reflection off the stellar photosphere, and (3)in a distribution of dense material partially covering and possibly trailing the neutron star, which may be associated with an accretion wake. Finally, from detailed analysis of the emission lines, we demonstrate that the stellar wind is affected by X-ray photoionization.

astro-ph↗