The significant contribution of supersoft X-ray Sources to the nebular HeII line emission

Abstract

Nebular spectral lines provide insight into the properties of the interstellar medium and the ionizing radiation within galaxies. The presence of high-energy ionization lines, such as He II, indicates the existence of hard ionizing photons, because the second ionization energy of helium is high (54 eV). The enigma surrounding the origin of these lines observed in star-forming galaxies persists, as stellar ionization cannot account for such high energy emission. This paper proposes that supersoft X-ray sources (SSS) may produce these high energy ionization lines in star-forming galaxies. We model the spectra of such sources using blackbody radiation and then add the blackbody to stellar population spectra to represent the overall spectra of galaxies. We then use a photoionization model to predict the resulting emission lines and compare the contribution of SSS to the observation of highly ionized lines in star-forming galaxies, both at low and high redshifts. We find that incorporating a blackbody with temperatures between kT = 20-100eV can boost the He II emission line ratio to the observed level. The blackbody temperature range aligns with the observed temperatures of the SSSs. The number of SSSs in spiral galaxies listed in Chandra catalogues, and our estimates of the total population, confirms that SSSs are promising candidates for the source of the He II ionization.

Locations

• arXiv (Cornell University) - View - PDF