Cosmic Rays Masquerading as Hot CGM Gas: An Inverse-Compton Origin for Diffuse X-ray Emission in the Circumgalactic Medium

Abstract

Observations have argued that Milky Way (MW), Andromeda, and lower-mass galaxies exhibit extended soft X-ray diffuse halos to radii $R\gtrsim100\,$kpc in the circumgalactic medium (CGM). If interpreted as thermal emission, the shallow surface brightness profiles $S_{X}\propto R^{-1}$ are difficult to explain and contradict other observations. We show that such halos instead arise from inverse Compton (IC) scattering of CMB photons with GeV cosmic ray (CR) electrons. GeV electrons have ~Gyr lifetimes and escape the galaxy, forming a shallow extended profile out to $\gtrsim100\,$kpc, where IC off the CMB should produce soft, thermal-like X-ray spectra peaked at ~keV. The observed keV halo luminosities and brightness profiles agree well with those expected for CRs observed in the local interstellar medium (LISM) escaping the galaxy, with energetics consistent with known CRs from SNe and/or AGN, around galaxies with stellar masses $M_{\ast}\lesssim2\times 10^{11}\,M_{\odot}$. At higher masses observed X-ray luminosities are larger than predicted from IC and should be dominated by hot gas. In the MW+M31, the same models of escaping CRs reproduce gamma-ray observations if we assume an LISM-like proton-to-electron ratio and CR-pressure-dominated halo. In all other halos, the radio and $γ$-ray brightness is below detectable limits. If true, the observations provide qualitatively new constraints on CGM and CR physics: X-ray brightness directly traces the CR lepton energy density in the CGM. This agrees with LISM values within 10 kpc, which following the profile expected for escaping CRs in the CGM. The inferred CR pressure is a major part of the MW CGM pressure budget. X-ray surface brightness and luminosity allows one to further determine the CGM diffusivity at radii $\sim10-1000\,$kpc. These also agree with LISM values at small radii but increase in the CGM.