PWN-powered Galactic Center X-ray filament G0.13-0.11: Proof of the synchrotron nature by IXPE

Kavli Affiliate: Herman L. Marshall

| First 5 Authors: Eugene Churazov, Ildar Khabibullin, Thibault Barnouin, Niccolò Bucciantini, Enrico Costa

| Summary:

We report the discovery of X-ray polarization from the X-ray-bright
thread/filament G0.13-0.11 in the Galactic Center region. This filament
features a bright hard X-ray source, most plausibly a Pulsar Wind Nebula (PWN),
and an extended and structured diffuse component. Combining the polarization
signal from IXPE with the imaging/spectroscopic data from Chandra, we find that
X-ray emission of G0.13-0.11 is highly polarized PD=$57(pm18)$% in the 3-6
keV band, while the polarization angle is PA=$21^circ(pm9^circ)$. This high
degree of polarization proves the synchrotron origin of the X-ray emission from
G0.13-0.11. In turn, the measured polarization angle implies that the X-ray
emission is polarized approximately perpendicular to a sequence of non-thermal
radio filaments that may be part of the Galactic Center Radio Arc. The magnetic
field of the order of $100,{rmmu G}$ appears to be preferentially ordered
along the filaments. The above field strength is the fiducial value that makes
our model self-consistent, while the other conclusions are largely
model-independent.

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