The Expansion of the X-Ray Nebula Around η Car

The massive colliding wind binary system η Car is embedded in an X-ray emitting region having a characteristic temperature of a few million degrees, associated with ejecta produced during the 1840s, and in earlier outbursts. We use CHANDRA X-ray imaging observations obtained over the past two decades to directly measure the expansion of the X-ray nebula for the first time. A combined CHANDRA/ACIS image shows a faint, nearly uniform elliptic structure. This faint elliptical “shell” has a similar orientation and shape as the Homunculus nebula but is about 3 times larger. We measure proper motions of brighter regions associated with the X-ray emitting ring. We compare spectra of the soft X-ray emitting plasma in CHANDRA/ACIS and XMM-Newton PN observations and show that the PN observations indicate a decline in X-ray flux which is comparable to that derived from NICER observations. We associate the diffuse elliptical emission surrounding the bright X-ray “ring” with the blast wave produced during the Great Eruption. We suggest that the interaction of this blast wave with pre-existing clumps of ejecta produces the bright, broken X-ray emitting ring. We extrapolate the trend in X-ray energy back to the time of the Great Eruption using a simple model and show that the X-ray energy was comparable to the kinetic energy of the Homunculus, suggesting equipartition of energy between fast, low-density ejecta and slower, dense ejecta. © 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]