Search results for "ISM: supernova remnants"
showing 10 items of 39 documents
Detection of X-ray flares from AX J1714.1-3912, the unidentified source near RX J1713.7-3946
2018
Molecular clouds are predicted to emit nonthermal X-rays when they are close to particle-accelerating supernova remnants (SNRs), and the hard X-ray source AX J1714.1-3912, near the SNR RX J1713.7-3946, has long been considered a candidate for diffuse nonthermal emission associated with cosmic rays diffusing from the remnant to a closeby molecular cloud. We aim at ascertaining the nature of this source by analyzing two dedicated X-ray observations performed with Suzaku and Chandra. We extracted images from the data in various energy bands, spectra, and light curves and studied the long-term evolution of the X-ray emission on the basis of the ~4.5 yr time separation between the two observatio…
Modeling the shock-cloud interaction in SN 1006: unveiling the origin of nonthermal X-ray and gamma-ray emission
2016
The supernova remnant SN 1006 is a source of high-energy particles and its southwestern limb is interacting with a dense ambient cloud, thus being a promising region for gamma-ray hadronic emission. We aim at describing the physics and the nonthermal emission associated with the shock-cloud interaction to derive the physical parameters of the cloud (poorly constrained by the data analysis), to ascertain the origin of the observed spatial variations in the spectral properties of the X-ray synchrotron emission, and to predict spectral and morphological features of the resulting gamma-ray emission. We performed 3-D magnetohydrodynamic simulations modeling the evolution of SN 1006 and its inter…
X-ray emitting structures in the Vela SNR: ejecta anisotropies and progenitor stellar wind residuals
2021
The Vela supernova remnant (SNR) shows several ejecta fragments protruding beyond the forward shock (shrapnel). Recent studies have revealed high Si abundance in two shrapnel (A and G), located in opposite directions with respect to the SNR center. This suggests the possible existence of a Si-rich jet-counterjet structure. We analyzed an XMM-Newton observation of a bright clump, behind shrapnel G, which lies along the direction connecting A and G. The aim is to study the physical and chemical properties of this clump to ascertain whether it is part of this putative jet-like structure. We produced background-corrected and adaptively-smoothed count-rate images and median photon energy maps, a…
The shape of the cutoff in the synchrotron emission of SN 1006 observed with XMM-Newton
2013
Synchrotron X-ray emission from the rims of young supernova remnants allows us to study the high-energy tail of the electrons accelerated at the shock front. The analysis of X-ray spectra can provide information on the physical mechanisms that limit the energy achieved by the electrons in the acceleration process. We aim at verifying whether the maximum electron energy in SN 1006 is limited by synchrotron losses and at obtaining information on the shape of the cutoff in the X-ray synchrotron emission. We analyzed the deep observations of the XMM-Newton SN 1006 Large Program. We performed spatially resolved spectral analysis of a set of small regions in the nonthermal limbs and studied the X…
The northwestern ejecta knot in SN 1006
2012
Aims: We want to probe the physics of fast collision-less shocks in supernova remnants. In particular, we are interested in the non-equilibration of temperatures and particle acceleration. Specifically, we aim to measure the oxygen temperature with regards to the electron temperature. In addition, we search for synchrotron emission in the northwestern thermal rim. Methods: This study is part of a dedicated deep observational project of SN 1006 using XMM-Newton, which provides us with currently the best resolution spectra of the bright northwestern oxygen knot. We aim to use the reflection grating spectrometer to measure the thermal broadening of the O vii line triplet by convolving the emis…
Multiple accelerated particle populations in the Cygnus Loop with Fermi-LAT
2021
The Cygnus Loop (G74.0-8.5) is a very well-known nearby supernova remnant (SNR) in our Galaxy. Thanks to its large size, brightness, and angular offset from the Galactic plane, it has been studied in detail from radio to $\gamma$-ray emission. The $\gamma$ -rays probe the populations of energetic particles and their acceleration mechanisms at low shock speeds. We present an analysis of the $\gamma$-ray emission detected by the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope over 11 years in the region of the Cygnus Loop. We performed detailed morphological and spectral studies of the $\gamma$-ray emission toward the remnant from 100 MeV to 100 GeV and compared it with X-ra…
Detailed study of SNR G306.3–0.9 using XMM-Newton and Chandra observations
2016
Aims. We aim to study the spatial distribution of the physical and chemical properties of the X-ray emitting plasma of the supernova remnant (SNR) G306.3-0.9 in detail to obtain constraints on its ionization stage, the progenitor supernova explosion, and the age of the remnant. Methods. We used combined data from XMM-Newton and Chandra observatories to study the X-ray morphology of G306.3-0.9 in detail. A spatially resolved spectral analysis was used to obtain physical and geometrical parameters of different regions of the remnant. Spitzer infrared observations, available in the archive, were also used to constrain the progenitor supernova and study the environment in which the remnant evol…
Unveiling the spatial structure of the overionized plasma in the supernova remnant W49B
2011
W49B is a mixed-morphology supernova remnant with thermal X-ray emission dominated by the ejecta. In this remnant, the presence of overionized plasma has been directly established, with information about its spatial structure. However, the physical origin of the overionized plasma in W49B has not yet been understood. We investigate this intriguing issue through a 2D hydrodynamic model that takes into account, for the first time, the mixing of ejecta with the inhomogeneous circumstellar and interstellar medium, the thermal conduction, the radiative losses from optically thin plasma, and the deviations from equilibrium of ionization induced by plasma dynamics. The model was set up on the basi…
Unveiling pure-metal ejecta X-ray emission in supernova remnants through their radiative recombination continuum
2020
Spectral analysis of X-ray emission from ejecta in supernova remnants (SNRs) is hampered by the low spectral resolution of CCD cameras, which creates a degeneracy between the best-fit values of abundances and emission measure. The combined contribution of shocked ambient medium and ejecta to the X-ray emission complicates the determination of the ejecta mass and chemical composition, leading to big uncertainties in mass estimates and it can introduce a bias in the comparison between the observed ejecta composition and the yields predicted by explosive nucleosynthesis. We explore the capabilities of present and future spectral instruments with the aim of identifying a spectral feature which …
Spatial distribution of X-ray emitting ejecta in Tychos SNR: indications of shocked Titanium
2015
Young supernova remnants show a characteristic ejecta-dominated X-ray emission that allows us to probe the products of the explosive nucleosynthesis processes and to ascertain important information about the physics of the supernova explosions. Hard X-ray observations have recently revealed the radioactive decay lines of 44Ti at ~67.9 keV and ~78.4 keV in the Tycho's SNR. We here analyze the set of XMM-Newton archive observations of the Tycho's SNR. We produce equivalent width maps of the Fe K and Ca XIX emission lines and find indications for a stratification of the abundances of these elements and significant anisotropies. We then perform a spatially resolved spectral analysis by identify…