No Arabic abstract
Young Supernova remnants (SNRs) with smaller angular sizes are likely missing from existing radio SNR catalogues, caused by observational constraints and selection effects. In order to find new compact radio SNR candidates, we searched the high angular resolution (25) THOR radio survey of the first quadrant of the galaxy. We selected sources with non-thermal radio spectra. HI absorption spectra and channel maps were used to identify which sources are galactic and to estimate their distances. Two new compact SNRs were found: G31.299$-$0.493 and G18.760$-$0.072, of which the latter was a previously suggested SNR candidate. The distances to these SNRs are 5.0 $pm$ 0.3 kpc and 4.7 $pm$ 0.2 kpc, respectively. Based on the SN rate in the galaxy or on the statistics of known SNRs, we estimate that there are 15$-$20 not yet detected compact SNRs in the galaxy and that the THOR survey area should contain three or four. Our detection of two SNRs (half the expected number) is consistent with the THOR sensitivity limit compared with the distribution of integrated flux densities of SNRs.
Determination of the explosion type of supernova remnants (SNRs) can be challenging, as SNRs are hundreds to thousands of years old and supernovae (SNe) are classified based on spectral properties days after explosion. Previous studies of thermal X-ray emission from Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) SNRs have shown that Type Ia and core-collapse (CC) SNRs have statistically different symmetries, and thus these sources can be typed based on their X-ray morphologies. In this paper, we extend the same technique, a multipole expansion technique using power ratios, to infrared (IR) images of SNRs to test whether they can be typed using the symmetry of their warm dust emission as well. We analyzed archival Spitzer Space Telescope Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) 24 micron observations of the previously used X-ray sample, and we find that the two classes of SNRs separate according to their IR morphologies. The Type Ia SNRs are statistically more circular and mirror symmetric than the CC SNRs, likely due to the different circumstellar environments and explosion geometries of the progenitors. Broadly, our work indicates that the IR emission retains information of the explosive origins of the SNR and offers a new method to type SNRs based on IR morphology.
The origin of interstellar dust in galaxies is poorly understood, particularly the relative contributions from supernovae and the cool stellar winds of low-intermediate mass stars. Here, we present Herschel PACS and SPIRE photometry at 70-500um of the historical young supernova remnants: Kepler and Tycho; both thought to be the remnants of Type Ia explosion events. We detect a warm dust component in Keplers remnant with T = 82K and mass 0.0031Msun; this is spatially coincident with thermal X-ray emission optical knots and filaments, consistent with the warm dust originating in the circumstellar material swept up by the primary blast wave of the remnant. Similarly for Tychos remnant, we detect warm dust at 90K with mass 0.0086Msun. Comparing the spatial distribution of the warm dust with X-rays from the ejecta and swept-up medium, and Ha emission arising from the post-shock edge, we show that the warm dust is swept up interstellar material. We find no evidence of a cool (25-50 K) component of dust with mass >0.07Msun as observed in core-collapse remnants of massive stars. Neither the warm or cold dust components detected here are spatially coincident with supernova ejecta material. We compare the lack of observed supernova dust with a theoretical model of dust formation in Type Ia remnants which predicts dust masses of 0.088(0.017)Msun for ejecta expanding into surrounding densities of 1(5)cm-3. The model predicts that silicon- and carbon-rich dust grains will encounter the interior edge of the observed dust emission at 400 years confirming that the majority of the warm dust originates from swept up circumstellar or interstellar grains (for Kepler and Tycho respectively). The lack of cold dust grains in the ejecta suggests that Type Ia remnants do not produce substantial quantities of iron-rich dust grains and has important consequences for the missing iron mass observed in ejecta.
We have used two methods to search for surviving companions of Type Ia supernova progenitors in three Balmer-dominated supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud: 0519-69.0, 0505-67.9 (DEM L71), and 0548-70.4. In the first method, we use the Hubble Space Telescope photometric measurements of stars to construct color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), and compare positions of stars in the CMDs with those expected from theoretical post-impact evolution of surviving main sequence or helium star companions. No obvious candidates of surviving companion are identified in this photometric search. Future models for surviving red giant companions or with different explosion mechanisms are needed for thorough comparisons with these observations in order to make more definitive conclusions. In the second method, we use Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations of 0519-69.0 and DEM L71 to carry out spectroscopic analyses of stars in order to use large peculiar radial velocities as diagnostics of surviving companions. We find a star in 0519-69.0 and a star in DEM L71 moving at radial velocities of 182 $pm$ 0 km s$^{-1}$ and 213 $pm$ 0 km s$^{-1}$, more than 2.5$sigma$ from the mean radial velocity of the underlying stellar population, 264 km s$^{-1}$ and 270 km s$^{-1}$, respectively. These stars need higher-quality spectra to investigate their abundances and rotation velocities to determine whether they are indeed surviving companions of the SN progenitors.
Using a combination of ground-based and HST imaging, we have constructed a catalog of 179 supernova remnants (SNRs) and SNR candidates in the nearby spiral galaxy M51. Follow-up spectroscopy of 66 of the candidates confirms 61 of these as SNRs, and suggests that the vast majority of the unobserved objects are SNRs as well. A total of 55 of the candidates are coincident with (mostly soft) X-ray sources identified in deep Chandra observations of M51; searching the positions of other soft X-ray sources resulted in several additional possible optical candidates. There are 16 objects in the catalog coincident with known radio sources. None of the sources with spectra shows the high velocities (>500 km/s) characteristic of young, ejecta-dominated SNRs like Cas A; instead, most if not all appear to be middle-aged SNRs. The general properties of the SNRs, size distribution and spectral characteristics, resemble those in other nearby spiral galaxies, notably M33, M83, and NGC6946, where similar samples exist. However, the spectroscopically observed [N II]:H{alpha} ratios appear to be significantly higher than in any of these other galaxies. Although we have explored various ideas to explain the high ratios in M51, none of the explanations appears to be satisfactory.
We carry out a project to independently measure the distances of supernova remnants (SNRs) in the first quadrant of the Galaxy. In this project, red clump (RC) stars are used as standard candles and extinction probes to build the optical extinction (A$_V$) - distance(D) relation in each direction of extinction-known SNRs. 15 SNRs distances are well determined. Among them, the distances of G65.8-0.5, G66.0-0.0 and G67.6+0.9 are given for the first time. We also obtain 32 upper/lower limits of distances, and the distances to G5.7-0.1, G15.1-1.6, G28.8+1.5 and G78.2+2.1 are constrained. Most of the distances measured by the RC method are consistent with previous results. The RC method provides an independent access to the distances of SNRs.