Measuring Feedback Using the Intergalactic Medium State and Evolution Inferred from the Soft X-ray Background

Abstract

We explore the intergalactic medium (IGM) as a potential source of the unresolved soft X-ray background (XRB) and the feasibility to extract the IGM state and evolution from XRB observations. We build two analytical models, the continuum field model and the halo model, to calculate the IGM XRB mean flux, angular auto correlation and cross correlation with galaxies. Our results suggest that the IGM may contribute a significant fraction to the unresolved soft XRB flux and correlations. We calibrated non-Gaussian errors estimated against our $512^3$ moving mesh hydro simulation and estimate that the ROSAT all sky survey plus Sloan galaxy photometric redshift survey would allow a $\sim 10$ accuracy in the IGM XRB-galaxy cross correlation power spectrum measurement for $800<l<5000$ and a $\sim 20$ accuracy in the redshift resolved X-ray emissivity-galaxy cross correlation power spectrum measurement for $z\lesssim 0.5$. At small scales, non-gravitational heating, e.g. feedback, dominates over gravity and leaves unique signatures in the IGM XRB, which allows a comparable accuracy in the measurement of the amount of non-gravitational heating and the length scales where non-gravitational energy balances gravity.

17 pages, 5 figures. Will appear on ApJ May issue

References in corpus (7)

• The 3D Power Spectrum from Angular Clustering of Galaxies in Early SDSS Data
• The Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect: simulation and observation
• The Soft X-ray Properties of Nearby Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei and their Contribution to the Cosmic X-ray Background
• On the Distribution of X-ray Surface Brightness from Diffuse Gas
• On the Contribution of Unresolved Galactic Stars to the Diffuse Soft X-ray Background
• The X-ray background from groups and clusters of galaxies
• The harmonic power spectrum of the soft X-ray background I. The data analysis

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Dynamical Effect of the Turbulence of IGM on the Baryon Fraction Distribution
• Warm-hot intergalactic medium contribution to baryonic matter
• The effect of cluster magnetic field on the Sunyaev Zeldovich power spectrum
• Cross-correlation between the soft X-ray background and SZ Sky
• X-ray Emission of Baryonic Gas in the Universe: Luminosity-Temperature Relationship and Soft-Band Background
• Autocorrelation function of the soft X-ray background produced by warm-hot gas in dark halos
• Scaling Relation between Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect and X-ray Luminosity and Scale-Free Evolution of Cosmic Baryon Field
• A halo approach to the evaluation of the cross-correlation between the SZ sky and galaxy survey