Fermi and eRosita bubbles as relics of the past activity of the Galactic black hole

Abstract

The newly launched X-ray satellite, eRosita, has recently revealed two gigantic bubbles extending to ~80 degrees above and below the Galactic center. The morphology of these "eRosita bubbles" bears a remarkable resemblance to the Fermi bubbles previously discovered by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and its counterpart, the microwave haze. The physical origin of these striking structures has been intensely debated; however, because of their symmetry about the Galactic center, they likely originate from some energetic outbursts from the Galactic center in the past. Here we propose a theoretical model in which the eRosita bubbles, Fermi bubbles, and the microwave haze could be simultaneously explained by a single event of jet activity from the central supermassive black hole a few million years ago. Using numerical simulations, we show that this model could successfully reproduce the morphology and multi-wavelength spectra of the observed bubbles and haze, which allows us to derive critical constraints on the energetics and timescales of the outburst. This study serves as an important step forward in our understanding of the past Galactic center activity of our Milky Way Galaxy, and may bring valuable insights into the broader picture of supermassive black hole-galaxy co-evolution in the context of galaxy formation.

arXiv comment23 pages, 5 figures, matched to the published version in Nature Astronomy

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