Astrophysics/Space Physics Seminar – Mr. Jesse Bluem | Physics and Astronomy

Widespread Detection of Two Components in the Hot Circumgalactic Medium of the Milky Way

Mr. Jesse Bluem; University of Iowa, Department of Physics & Astronomy

Surrounding the Milky Way (MW) is the circumgalactic medium (CGM), an extended reservoir of hot gas that has significant effect on the evolution of the MW. We used the HaloSat all-sky survey to study the CGM’s X-ray emission in order to better define its distribution and structure. We find evidence that at least two hot gas model components at different temperatures are required to produce the observed emission for CGM sightlines across the entire sky. While the distribution of the CGM material appears clumpy, a region of relatively consistent CGM was found in the northern CGM. This allowed for the CGM to be studied in finer detail using a stacked spectrum. The stacked spectrum is also well described with a model including two CGM hot gas components. These results expand on previous studies that have only observed two MW CGM temperature components for discrete sightlines.