XRISM spectroscopy of a crowded Galactic center region -- III. S, Ar and Ca ISM Absorption Features in the spectrum of MAXI J1744-294

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gatuzz, Efrain, Parra, Maxime, Hasoglu, Muhammet F., Gorczyca, Thomas W., Mandel, Shifra, Mori, Kaya, Matsunaga, Kai, Uchiyama, Hideki, Nobukawa, Masayoshi, Shidatsu, Megumi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866912986650640384
author Gatuzz, Efrain
Parra, Maxime
Hasoglu, Muhammet F.
Gorczyca, Thomas W.
Mandel, Shifra
Mori, Kaya
Matsunaga, Kai
Uchiyama, Hideki
Nobukawa, Masayoshi
Shidatsu, Megumi
author_facet Gatuzz, Efrain
Parra, Maxime
Hasoglu, Muhammet F.
Gorczyca, Thomas W.
Mandel, Shifra
Mori, Kaya
Matsunaga, Kai
Uchiyama, Hideki
Nobukawa, Masayoshi
Shidatsu, Megumi
contents We present a comprehensive study of X-ray absorption by sulfur (S), argon (Ar), and calcium (Ca) in the interstellar medium (ISM) along the line of sight to the low-mass X-ray binary MAXI J1744$-$294, using high-resolution XRISM Resolve spectra complemented by Chandra HETG data. The analysis employs an updated ISMabs model, incorporating newly computed $R$-matrix photoabsorption cross-sections for Ca I$-$Ca III, and existing cross-sections for higher ionization states. We find that S and Ar are predominantly in low-ionization states, with S II and Ar II dominating the cold and warm ISM phases, while higher-ionization species are constrained by upper limits. Calcium is primarily detected in low-ionization states, consistent with strong depletion into dust grains, with only marginal contributions from highly ionized ions. Using the measured ionic column densities, we infer hydrogen column densities of $N_{\rm H} \sim 1.1$-$1.3 \times 10^{23}\,\mathrm{cm^{-2}}$ from S and Ar, while the Ca-based value, tracing the neutral ISM, is in agreement with these estimates, highlighting the consistency across different tracers. Our results demonstrate the diagnostic power of combining multiple elements to probe ISM ionization structure, elemental depletion, and dust composition, and provide the first X-ray constraints on calcium absorption in the interstellar medium.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_27234
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle XRISM spectroscopy of a crowded Galactic center region -- III. S, Ar and Ca ISM Absorption Features in the spectrum of MAXI J1744-294
Gatuzz, Efrain
Parra, Maxime
Hasoglu, Muhammet F.
Gorczyca, Thomas W.
Mandel, Shifra
Mori, Kaya
Matsunaga, Kai
Uchiyama, Hideki
Nobukawa, Masayoshi
Shidatsu, Megumi
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Astrophysics of Galaxies
We present a comprehensive study of X-ray absorption by sulfur (S), argon (Ar), and calcium (Ca) in the interstellar medium (ISM) along the line of sight to the low-mass X-ray binary MAXI J1744$-$294, using high-resolution XRISM Resolve spectra complemented by Chandra HETG data. The analysis employs an updated ISMabs model, incorporating newly computed $R$-matrix photoabsorption cross-sections for Ca I$-$Ca III, and existing cross-sections for higher ionization states. We find that S and Ar are predominantly in low-ionization states, with S II and Ar II dominating the cold and warm ISM phases, while higher-ionization species are constrained by upper limits. Calcium is primarily detected in low-ionization states, consistent with strong depletion into dust grains, with only marginal contributions from highly ionized ions. Using the measured ionic column densities, we infer hydrogen column densities of $N_{\rm H} \sim 1.1$-$1.3 \times 10^{23}\,\mathrm{cm^{-2}}$ from S and Ar, while the Ca-based value, tracing the neutral ISM, is in agreement with these estimates, highlighting the consistency across different tracers. Our results demonstrate the diagnostic power of combining multiple elements to probe ISM ionization structure, elemental depletion, and dust composition, and provide the first X-ray constraints on calcium absorption in the interstellar medium.
title XRISM spectroscopy of a crowded Galactic center region -- III. S, Ar and Ca ISM Absorption Features in the spectrum of MAXI J1744-294
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Astrophysics of Galaxies
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.27234