Accepted Cycle 22 Theory Proposals

Proposal Number	Subject Category	PI Name	Title
22200035	STARS AND WD	Marc Gagne	X-rays from obliquely rotating magnetic massive stars
22200602	STARS AND WD	Adam Foster	Density Dependent Spectral Modeling for Chandra
22400486	BH AND NS BINARIES	Michael Nowak	Bridging the Gap Between Phenomenological and Physical Spectroscopy Models
22500367	SN, SNR AND ISOLATED NS	Carles Badenes	MAPPING TYPE IA SUPERNOVA PROGENITORS ONTO SUPERNOVA REMNANTS
22700441	ACTIVE GALAXIES AND QUASARS	Ian Christie	Multi-Scale Modeling of AGN Outbursts \& Feedback in M87
22700545	ACTIVE GALAXIES AND QUASARS	Anna Ogorzalek	CONSTRAINING THE DENSITY OF AGN OUTFLOWS WITH IR HEATING
22800157	CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES	John ZuHone	Simulating the Combined Effects of Mergers and AGN Feedback in the Perseus Cluster
22800166	CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES	Congyao Zhang	Gravity waves - an essential, yet often-ignored component of AGN feedback

Subject Category: STARS AND WD

Proposal Number: 22200035

Title: X-rays from obliquely rotating magnetic massive stars

PI Name: Marc Gagne

Strong magnetic fields have been discovered on ~7% of massive stars. Depending on their wind, rotation, field strength, and magnetic geometry, massive stars exhibit a wide range of time variable X-ray diagnostics: Lx/Lbol, kT, line widths and He-like forbidden-to-intercombination line ratios. We propose to undertake realistic 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations with a full energy equation of magnetic massive star systems to perform a parameter study and to model specific stars with deep HETG observations in the Chandra archive. We will use the PLUTO MHD code and a new Geodesic Mesh code, along with custom post-processing software to produce time-resolved, high-resolution synthetic X-ray spectra. These codes will be made available to the public.

Subject Category: STARS AND WD

Proposal Number: 22200602

Title: Density Dependent Spectral Modeling for Chandra

PI Name: Adam Foster

Density effects on line emission in stellar coronae have been used to provide information on many aspects of the accretion and heating processes in stars. However, there is no modern thermal model in XSPEC or Sherpa which capture density dependent effects. As well as diagnostic line ratios, there are also significant lines which have density dependence but do not form part of a diagnostic, and are therefore often not listed in the literature. For the unwary analyst, and plasma with density > 10^9cm^{-3} contains a raft of issues which can be difficult to unravel. We will provide the community a comprehensive density dependent model of thermal plasma compatible with standard tools such as XSPEC and Sherpa, based on the current APEC and NEI models already developed by the AtomDB project.

Subject Category: BH AND NS BINARIES

Proposal Number: 22400486

Title: Bridging the Gap Between Phenomenological and Physical Spectroscopy Models

PI Name: Michael Nowak

Modeling lines in high resolution X-ray spectra exists at two extremes: phenomenological addition to fitted continua, or sophisticated but slow plasma codes: XSTAR, COUDY, and models in SPEX. The latter cannot be run in other major X-ray analysis packages: XSPEC, Sherpa, or ISIS. We have two goals: First, create a set of tools for phenomenological modeling, more sophisticated than haphazardly adding line components, but simpler and faster than plasma codes. This will allow user exploration before turning to sophisticated codes. Second, open up SPEX models via a wrapper/interface so that they can be used by other packages. This will allow them to be directly compared to the results of XSTAR and CLOUDY, and also allow their use with a wider variety of continuum models than previously.

Subject Category: SN, SNR AND ISOLATED NS

Proposal Number: 22500367

Title: MAPPING TYPE IA SUPERNOVA PROGENITORS ONTO SUPERNOVA REMNANTS

PI Name: Carles Badenes

The goal of this proposal is to build a large grid of SNR models to systematically explore the parameter space for circumstellar interaction in SN Ia progenitors. We will consider pre-SN mass loss for every major SN Ia progenitor scenario, calculate the structure of the circumstellar medium, and compare the bulk properties of the SNRs evolving in these structures to X-ray observations from Chandra and other satellites. These comparisons will allow us to rule out significant areas of parameter space, and single out the most promising mechanisms for mass loss in SN Ia progenitors.

Subject Category: ACTIVE GALAXIES AND QUASARS

Proposal Number: 22700441

Title: Multi-Scale Modeling of AGN Outbursts \& Feedback in M87

PI Name: Ian Christie

Chandra has recorded large outbursts from M87, displaying large circular shocks and a thermally heated radio bubble. However, it is not fully understood how these outbursts (relativistic jets) couple their energy to the heating of the interstellar medium (ISM). Here, we propose to model, for the first time and from first principles, the entirety of M87's outburst and its effects on the ISM. We will simulate, using 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations, jets from active galactic nuclei, which extend from their self-consistent formation to distances beyond the Bondi radius, investigating their interactions with the ISM. Using our simulations, we will probe how the outburst/s energy is redistributed between shocks, shock-heated gas, and bubbles or relativistic plasma.

Subject Category: ACTIVE GALAXIES AND QUASARS

Proposal Number: 22700545

Title: CONSTRAINING THE DENSITY OF AGN OUTFLOWS WITH IR HEATING

PI Name: Anna Ogorzalek

In order to better understand the impact of accretion-driven black hole outflows on their host galaxies, we must precisely measure their kinetic power. However, the densities of these ionized winds remain largely unknown. A crucial physical process, heating by infrared photons, is typically not taken into account in analyses of grating observations of X-ray detected winds, leading to biased measurements of their physical properties. However, if well understood, it can provide robust density constraints. Here we propose an in-depth study of the relationship between infrared heating and outflow density, to quantify the biases it can introduce and show the opportunity to constrain the power of AGN winds.

Subject Category: CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES

Proposal Number: 22800157

Title: Simulating the Combined Effects of Mergers and AGN Feedback in the Perseus Cluster

PI Name: John ZuHone

The hot X-ray emitting atmospheres of galaxy clusters are scenes of much dynamic activity driven by AGN feedback and mergers. The nearby Perseus cluster, with 1 Ms of Chandra observations, is an ideal object to study these two processes operating together, with both AGN cavities and sloshing gas motions. We propose to use the Arepo code to reproduce the observed features of the Perseus cluster by including AGN feedback and mergers using dedicated numerical simulations. We will examine the effects of merger-induced motions on the observed AGN features of cavities and cool gas, and the effects of AGN on the cold fronts produced by the motions. We will also study the properties of surface brightness fluctuations, and produce mock observations for Chandra and other X-ray observatories.

Subject Category: CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES

Proposal Number: 22800166

Title: Gravity waves - an essential, yet often-ignored component of AGN feedback

PI Name: Congyao Zhang

We propose to simulate buoyant plasma bubbles rising in galaxy clusters in the frame of the rigid-bubble model, where we can well resolve internal gravity waves and turbulence, driven by the bubbles. We aim to accurately measure the Froude number of these rising bubbles and further improve our understanding of their heating of the ICM. These simulations would provide a unique opportunity to directly compare the numerical predictions with existing observations, e.g. density/pressure fluctuations measured with Chandra in regions dominated by AGN feedback.