2004/12/13 by M. Ehle, Ehle, M.
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #FOS: Physical sciences #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0412286
8 pages, 5 figures, to appear in "Extra-planar Gas", ed. R. Braun, ASP Conf. Series, San Francisco
arxiv created 2004/12/13 · openalex publication_date 2004/12/13 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We report on first results of XMM-Newton observations of nearby starburst galaxies that form part of a multi-wavelength study of gaseous halos around late-type spiral galaxies and their dependence on the level of star formation activity in the underlying disks. XMM-Newton, with its extraordinary sensitivity for faint extended X-ray emission, is used to derive spatial and spectral properties of the very hot extraplanar/halo gas. For example, spectral models can be tested and hot gas properties like density, mass and energy can be estimated. Comparing the distribution of the halo X-ray emission with optical filaments and/or observed magnetic field structures uncovers interesting correlations on which work just has started. Our study aims - in general - at assessing the importance of galactic halos as repositories of a metal-enriched hot medium and their significance in terms of galactic chemical evolution and possible metal enrichment of the intergalactic medium.