Journal article
A Very Large Array Study of Newly Discovered Southern Latitude Nonthermal Filaments in the Galactic Center: Radio Continuum Total-intensity and Spectral Index Properties
The Astrophysical journal, Vol.941(2), p.123
12/01/2022
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aca40a
Abstract
The nonthermal filament (NTF) radio structures clustered within a few hundred parsecs of the Galactic center (GC) are apparently unique to this region of the Galaxy. Recent radio images of the GC using MeerKAT at 1 GHz have revealed a multitude of faint, previously unknown NTF bundles (NTFBs), some of which are comprised of as many as 10 or more individual filaments. In this work we present Very Large Array observations at the C- and X-bands (4-12 GHz) at arcsecond-scale resolutions of three of these newly discovered NTFBs, all located at southern Galactic latitudes. These observations allow us to compare their total-intensity properties with those of the larger NTF population. We find that these targets generally possess properties similar to what is observed in the larger NTF population. However, the larger NTF population generally has steeper spectral indices than what we observe for our chosen targets. The results presented here based on the total-intensity properties of these structures indicate that the NTFs are likely a result of synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons that have been generated either by a nearby compact source or by extended magnetic field structures in which the magnetic field line reconnection has accelerated the electrons. In either scenario, once the relativistic electrons are produced and injected locally into the field they diffuse along the magnetic field lines, producing the filaments.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A Very Large Array Study of Newly Discovered Southern Latitude Nonthermal Filaments in the Galactic Center: Radio Continuum Total-intensity and Spectral Index Properties
- Creators
- Dylan M. M. Pare - Villanova UniversityCornelia C. C. Lang - University of IowaMark R. Morris - University of California, Los Angeles
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Astrophysical journal, Vol.941(2), p.123
- DOI
- 10.3847/1538-4357/aca40a
- ISSN
- 0004-637X
- eISSN
- 1538-4357
- Publisher
- IOP Publishing Ltd
- Number of pages
- 14
- Grant note
- AST-1614782; AST-1615375 / National Science Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/01/2022
- Academic Unit
- Liberal Arts and Science Admin; Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984428667202771
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