Engineering topics

Díaz Trigo, María (ORCID:0000000177964279)

Publications and source records attributed to Díaz Trigo, María (ORCID:0000000177964279).

5 records

DOE OSTI2026

Accurate determination of chemical abundances near a supermassive black hole

The metal abundances in galactic nuclei carry key information on the history of star formation and mass transfer in central regions of galaxies. X-ray fluorescence analysis is a unique tool to reliably measure the abundances of various elements via simple physics. Here we present a new observation of the active nucleus in the Circinus galaxy with the XRISM satellite at unprecedented X-ray energy resolution. The fluorescent iron Kα line profile modified by Compton scattering indicates that the material responsible for its emission is cold and metal rich and is located ≳0.024 pc from the supermassive black hole, consistent with the dusty torus region. The abundance pattern derived from comparing fluorescent line intensities of different metals shows subsolar ratios of argon- and calcium-to-iron and a supersolar ratio of nickel-to-iron. This abundance pattern is best produced by a combination in number fraction of 92$^{+2}_{–4}$% core-collapse supernovae from progenitor stars less massive than 20$^{+3}_{–2}$ M ⊙ and 8$^{+4}_{–2}$% type Ia supernovae. This suggests that gas feeding the supermassive black hole was enriched by recent core-collapse supernovae. Our findings imply that in metal-rich environments stars more massive than about 20 M ⊙ directly collapse into black holes or make faint supernovae without ejecting heavy metals into the space.

Astronomy and AstroPhysics↗

DOE OSTI2026

Disentangling multiple gas kinematic drivers in the Perseus galaxy cluster

Galaxy clusters, the Universe’s largest halo structures, are filled with an X-ray-emitting gas with a temperature between 10 million and 100 million degrees. Their evolution is shaped by energetic processes such as feedback from supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and mergers with other cosmic structures. The imprints of these processes on gas kinematics remain largely unknown, restricting our understanding of energy conversion within clusters4. High-resolution spectral mapping with the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) observatory offers a way forward. Here we present XRISM kinematic measurements of the Perseus cluster, radially covering the extent of its cool core. We find direct evidence for at least two dominant drivers of gas motions operating on distinct physical scales: a small-scale driver in the inner approximately 60 kpc, probably associated with the SMBH feedback; and a large-scale driver in the outer core, powered by mergers. This finding suggests that, during the active phase, SMBH feedback drives gas motions, which, if fully dissipated into heat, could have a substantial role in offsetting radiative cooling losses in the Perseus core. Furthermore, our study underscores the necessity of kinematic mapping observations of extended sources to robustly characterize the velocity fields and their role in the evolution of massive halos. It further offers a kinematic diagnostic for SMBH feedback models.

Astronomy and AstroPhysics↗

DOE OSTI2025

Delving into the depths of NGC 3783 with XRISM II. Cross-calibration of X-ray instruments used in the large, multi-mission observational campaign

Context. Accurate X-ray spectroscopic measurements are fundamental for deriving basic physical parameters of the most abundant baryon components in the Universe. The plethora of X-ray observatories currently operational enables a panchromatic view of the high-energy emission of celestial sources. However, uncertainties in the energy-dependent calibration of the instrument transfer functions (e.g. the effective area, energy redistribution, or gain) can limit - and historically, did limit - the accuracy of X-ray spectroscopic measurements. Aims. We revised the status of the cross-calibration among the scientific payload on board four operation missions: Chandra, NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, and the recently launched XRISM. XRISM carries the micro-calorimeter Resolve, which yields the best energy resolution at energies ≥2 keV. For this purpose, we used the data from a 10-day-long observational campaign targeting the nearby active galactic nucleus NGC 3783, carried out in July 2024. Methods. We present a novel model-independent method for assessing the cross-calibration status that is based on a multi-node spline of the spectra with the highest-resolving power (XRISM/Resolve in our campaign). We also estimated the impact of the intrinsic variability of NGC 3783 on the cross-calibration status due to the different time coverages of participating observatories and performed an empirical reassessment of the Resolve throughput at low energies. Results. Based on this analysis, we derived a set of energy-dependent correction factors of the observed responses, enabling a statistically robust analysis of the whole spectral dataset. They will be employed in subsequent papers describing the astrophysical results of the campaign. Aims. We revised the status of the cross-calibration among the scientific payload on board four operation missions: Chandra, NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, and the recently launched XRISM. XRISM carries the micro-calorimeter Resolve, which yields the best energy resolution at energies ≥2 keV. For this purpose, we used the data from a 10-day-long observational campaign targeting the nearby active galactic nucleus NGC 3783, carried out in July 2024. Methods. We present a novel model-independent method for assessing the cross-calibration status that is based on a multi-node spline of the spectra with the highest-resolving power (XRISM/Resolve in our campaign). We also estimated the impact of the intrinsic variability of NGC 3783 on the cross-calibration status due to the different time coverages of participating observatories and performed an empirical reassessment of the Resolve throughput at low energies. Results. Based on this analysis, we derived a set of energy-dependent correction factors of the observed responses, enabling a statistically robust analysis of the whole spectral dataset. They will be employed in subsequent papers describing the astrophysical results of the campaign.

Active Galactic Nuclei, individual: NGC 3783↗

DOE OSTI2025

Kinematic Evidence for Bipolar Ejecta Flows in the Galactic Supernova Remnant W49B

W49B is a unique Galactic supernova remnant with centrally peaked, “bar”-like ejecta distribution, which was once considered evidence for a hypernova origin that resulted in a bipolar ejection of the stellar core. However, chemical abundance measurements contradict this interpretation. Closely connected to the morphology of the ejecta is its velocity distribution, which provides critical details for understanding the explosion mechanism. We report the first ever observational constraint on the kinematics of the ejecta in W49B using the Resolve microcalorimeter spectrometer on the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM). Using XRISM/Resolve, we measured the line-of-sight velocity traced by the Fe Heα emission, which is the brightest feature in the Resolve spectrum, to vary by ±300 km s −1 with a smooth east-to-west gradient of a few tens of kilometers per second per parsec along the major axis. Similar trends in the line-of-sight velocity structure were found for other Fe-group elements Cr and Mn, traced by the Heα emission, and also for intermediate-mass elements Si, S, Ar, and Ca, traced by the Lyα emission. The discovery of the east–west gradient in the line-of-sight velocity, together with the absence of a twin-peaked line profile or enhanced broadening in the central region, clearly rejects the equatorially expanding disk model. In contrast, the observed velocity structure suggests bipolar flows reminiscent of a bipolar explosion scenario. An alternative scenario would be a collimation of the ejecta by an elongated cavity sculpted by bipolar stellar winds.

High resolution spectroscopy↗

DOE OSTI2024

The XRISM/Resolve View of the Fe K Region of Cyg X-3

The X-ray binary system Cygnus X-3 (4U 2030+40, V1521 Cyg) is luminous but enigmatic owing to the high intervening absorption. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy uniquely probes the dynamics of the photoionized gas in the system. In this Letter, we report on an observation of Cyg X-3 with the XRISM/Resolve spectrometer, which provides unprecedented spectral resolution and sensitivity in the 2–10 keV band. We detect multiple kinematic and ionization components in absorption and emission whose superposition leads to complex line profiles, including strong P Cygni profiles on resonance lines. The prominent Fe xxv Heα and Fe xxvi Lyα emission complexes are clearly resolved into their characteristic fine-structure transitions. Self-consistent photoionization modeling allows us to disentangle the absorption and emission components and measure the Doppler velocity of these components as a function of binary orbital phase. We find a significantly higher velocity amplitude for the emission lines than for the absorption lines. The absorption lines generally appear blueshifted by ∼−500–600 km s −1 . We show that the wind decomposes naturally into a relatively smooth and large-scale component, perhaps associated with the background wind itself, plus a turbulent, denser structure located close to the compact object in its orbit.

Audard, Marc (ORCID:000000034721034X)↗