Abstract
Results of pointed observations on nearby spiral galaxies with the ROSAT PSPC are reported. Galaxies with low galactic foreground absorption have been selected to allow to make use of the good soft energy response of the ROSAT PSPC. ROSAT observations resolve X-ray point sources in the nucleus and the disk of several nearby spiral galaxies. In some galaxies diffuse X-ray emission is detected in the disk. This emission correlates with the inner spiral arm structure (NGC 253, NGC 4258). In addition ROSAT discovered diffuse emission in the halo of several of the galaxies, that originates from > 106 K gas. This is not only true for active (NGC 253, starburst; NGC 4258, Seyfert 1.9 nucleus and anomalous arms) but also for normal spiral galaxies similar to the Milky Way (M101, face-on; NGC 4565, edge-on). The hot gas fills the halo above the inner disk (0.5 to 0.7 × D25) of the galaxies and typical X-ray luminosities are 5 × 1039 erg s-1. Hot halos may be produced by starburst or Seyfert-like activity and the presence may indicate an episode of enhanced activity of the galaxy. This activity may still be noticeable (NGC 4258, NGC 253) or may already have vanished (M101, NGC 4565) and only be deducible due to the relatively long cooling time of the gas in the halo (typical cooling time > 108 years). For NGC 253 there are indications that the hot gas in the halo may not originate from the outflow driven by the ongoing nuclear starburst activity.
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Pietsch, W. (1994). Rosat Observations of Nearby Spiral Galaxies. In: Genzel, R., Harris, A.I. (eds) The Nuclei of Normal Galaxies. NATO ASI Series, vol 445. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0752-5_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0752-5_2
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