TY - JOUR
T1 - AE Aurigae: First Detection of Non-thermal X-Ray Emission from a Bow Shock Produced by a Runaway Star
AU - Miceli, Marco
AU - Bonito, Rosaria
AU - Pereira, null
AU - Del Valle, null
AU - Damiani, null
AU - Romero, null
AU - Albacete-Colombo, null
AU - De Castro, null
AU - Bonito, null
AU - López-Santiago, null
AU - Miceli, null
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Runaway stars produce shocks when passing through interstellar medium at supersonic velocities. Bow shocks have been detected in the mid-infrared for several high-mass runaway stars and in radio waves for one star. Theoretical models predict the production of high-energy photons by non-thermal radiative processes in a number sufficiently large to be detected in X-rays. To date, no stellar bow shock has been detected at such energies. We present the first detection of X-ray emission from a bow shock produced by a runaway star. The star is AE Aur, which was likely expelled from its birthplace due to the encounter of two massive binary systems and now is passing through the dense nebula IC 405. The X-ray emission from the bow shock is detected at 30'' northeast of the star, coinciding with an enhancement in the density of the nebula. From the analysis of the observed X-ray spectrum of the source and our theoretical emission model, we confirm that the X-ray emission is produced mainly by inverse Compton upscattering of infrared photons from dust in the shock front.
AB - Runaway stars produce shocks when passing through interstellar medium at supersonic velocities. Bow shocks have been detected in the mid-infrared for several high-mass runaway stars and in radio waves for one star. Theoretical models predict the production of high-energy photons by non-thermal radiative processes in a number sufficiently large to be detected in X-rays. To date, no stellar bow shock has been detected at such energies. We present the first detection of X-ray emission from a bow shock produced by a runaway star. The star is AE Aur, which was likely expelled from its birthplace due to the encounter of two massive binary systems and now is passing through the dense nebula IC 405. The X-ray emission from the bow shock is detected at 30'' northeast of the star, coinciding with an enhancement in the density of the nebula. From the analysis of the observed X-ray spectrum of the source and our theoretical emission model, we confirm that the X-ray emission is produced mainly by inverse Compton upscattering of infrared photons from dust in the shock front.
KW - ISM: clouds
KW - X-rays: general
KW - radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
KW - stars: individual: AE Aur
KW - stars: kinematics and dynamics
KW - stars: massive
KW - ISM: clouds
KW - X-rays: general
KW - radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
KW - stars: individual: AE Aur
KW - stars: kinematics and dynamics
KW - stars: massive
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10447/65109
M3 - Article
VL - 757
JO - Astrophysical Journal Letters
JF - Astrophysical Journal Letters
SN - 2041-8205
ER -