~100 colliding stellar winds near Sgr A*: hydrodynamics, X-ray synthesis, and virtual reality

The central parsec of our Milky Way Galaxy is a hotbed for high-energy astrophysics. The Chandra observations of the 2′′-5′′ annulus around the supermassive black hole, Sgr A*, show spatially resolved thermal X-ray emission, which are well modeled by the collision of supersonic winds from 25 orbiting Wolf-Rayet stars. Nearer to Sgr A* is also a population of OB stars that, even though they have weaker winds, are more numerous and should also contribute to the thermal X-ray emission via their wind collisions. This work presents hydrodynamic models and thermal X-ray synthesis of ~100 stellar winds within a half parsec of Sgr A*, noting how the X-ray emission within 2′′ of the supermassive black hole is reduced, thereby affecting efforts to model the black-hole emission itself by subtracting off this colliding-wind emission as a background source. Additionally, we will present an update on “Galactic Center VR”, our virtual-reality outreach freely available on Steam that allows the public to immerse themselves in the central parsec of our galaxy, now with these updated ~100-wind simulations.