Related papers: Science with hot astrophysical plasmas
Most of the ordinary matter in the local Universe has not been converted into stars but resides in a largely unexplored diffuse, hot, X-ray emitting plasma. It pervades the gravitational potentials of massive galaxies, groups and clusters…
A hot phase of the interstellar medium has now been detected and studied in several objects through its X-ray emission. A proper assessment of its characteristics is relevant for our understanding of several aspects of galaxy properties,…
In this paper I review the motivation and current status of modeling of plasmas exposed to strong radiation fields, as it applies to the study of cosmic X-ray sources. This includes some of the astrophysical issues which can be addressed,…
A brief summary of some highlights in the study of high energy astrophysical sources over the past decade is presented. It is argued that the great progress that has been made derives largely from the application of new technology to…
Clusters of galaxies are the largest self-gravitating structures in the universe. Each cluster is filled with a large-scale plasma atmosphere, in which primordial matter is mixed with matter that has been processed inside stars. This is a…
Recent X-ray observations have had a major impact on topics ranging from protostars to cosmology. They have also drawn attention to important and general physical processes that currently limit our understanding of thermal and nonthermal…
Since its discovery as an X-ray source with the Einstein Observatory, the hot X-ray emitting interstellar medium of early-type galaxies has been studied intensively, with observations of improving quality, and with extensive modeling by…
I review several ongoing connections between space physics and astrophysics: a) Measurements of energetic particle spectra have confirmed theoretical prediction of the highest energy to which shocks can accelerate particles, and this has…
As the formation of cosmic structure continues to proceed, we observe one of the latest stages of this process in mergers of clusters of galaxies with other clusters, groups, and galaxies. The X-ray emitting hot plasma of these systems can…
Thanks to the new generation of X-ray satellites such as Chandra and XMM, high resolution and high sensitivity spectra are available. In particular, for the first time, the three most intense lines (resonance, intercombination and…
X-ray studies of nearby spiral galaxies with star formation allow us to investigate temperature and spatial distribution of the hot diffuse plasma, and to carry out individual and statistical studies of different classes of discrete sources…
Many of the fundamental questions in astrophysics can be addressed using spectroscopic observations of photoionized cosmic plasmas. However, the reliability of the inferred astrophysics depends on the accuracy of the underlying atomic data…
Galaxy clusters are massive dark matter-dominated systems filled with X-ray emitting, optically thin plasma. Their large size and relative simplicity (at least as astrophysical objects go) make them a unique laboratory to measure some of…
The high-resolution X-ray spectrum of the Perseus galaxy cluster observed with the Hitomi satellite challenges astrophysical collisional ionized plasma models that are widely used in the community. Although Hitomi spun out of control,…
The study of high energy cosmic rays is a diversified field of observational and phenomenological physics addressing questions ranging from shock acceleration of charged particles in various astrophysical objects, via transport properties…
The variation of temperature and density in the hot, X-ray emitting gas around massive, group dominant elliptical galaxies can be understood as a combination of gas ejected from evolving galactic stars and gas that accumulates in the outer…
The hot circum-galactic medium (CGM) represents the hot gas distributed beyond the stellar content of the galaxies while typically within their dark matter halos. It serves as a depository of energy and metal-enriched materials from…
We discuss the different physical processes that are important to understand the thermal X-ray emission and absorption spectra of the diffuse gas in clusters of galaxies and the warm-hot intergalactic medium. The ionisation balance, line…
We describe an extensive FUSE survey of highly ionized oxygen in the vicinity of the Milky Way that serves as an example of the type of study that would be desirable for other galactic systems. Understanding the origin of hot gas in the…
Astrophysical plasmas can have parameters vastly different from the more studied laboratory and space plasmas. In particular, the magnetic fields can be the dominant component of the plasma, with energy-density exceeding the particle…