Prof. Eric Wilcots (University of Wisconsin - Madison)

Diffuse Hot Gas in Spiral Galaxies - Prof. Eric Wilcots Colloquium

ATNF Marsfield Lecture Theatre

Abstract

The Sun resides within a several hundred parsec bubble devoid of neutral
gas, but filled with a diffuse X-ray emitting plasma. X-ray observations over the past two decades show us that there are a number of similar bubbles throughout the Milky Way, but the true filling factor of hot gas in our Galaxy remains unknown. This is largely because of the difficulty of observing X-ray emission from our location within the Galactic disk. The high resolution and good sensitivity of the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), however, makes it possible to accurately map the distribution of diffuse hot gas in other spiral galaxies. In this talk I will review a number of recent efforts to understand the physical properties of the diffuse hot interstellar medium and address the question of the filling factor of hot gas in spiral galaxies.