No Arabic abstract
We have used the NRAO Very Large Array (VLA) in conjunction with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) Pie Town antenna as a real-time interferometer system to measure the size of the extragalactic source J1801-231 as a function of frequency from 1285 to 4885 MHz. These observations were made in an attempt to determine the effect interstellar scattering has on the observed sizes of OH (1720 MHz) masers in the nearby (d=2.5 kpc) supernova remnant W28. The observations clearly show that J1801-231 displays angular broadening due to turbulence in the Galaxys interstellar medium. The minimum distance of the nearby (two arcminutes from J1801-231) pulsar PSR B1758-23 is constrained to be 9.4 +/- 2.4 kpc. This value is based on both the measured size of 220 mas for J1801-231 at 1715 MHz and the temporal broadening of the pulsar. A single thin scattering screen along the line of sight to the W28 OH(1720 MHz) masers must be at 4.7 +/- 1.2 kpc for this minimum pulsar distance. The screen may be placed closer to the Earth, but for reasonable values of the pulsar distance (i.e., the pulsar is within the Galaxy), this choice leads to a negligible scattering contribution to the sizes of the masers. Thus the OH(1720 MHz) masers, at a distance of 2.5 +/- 0.7 kpc, are unaffected by interstellar scattering, and the measured maser sizes must be intrinsic. Our measured upper limits to the size of the pulsar itself are consistent with the distance estimates to the pulsar and the scattering screen.
The atmospheric Cerenkov imaging technique has been used to search for point-like and diffuse TeV gamma-ray emission from the southern supernova remnant, W28, and surrounding region. The search, made with the CANGAROO 3.8m telescope, encompasses a number of interesting features, the supernova remnant itself, the EGRET source 3EG J1800-2338, the pulsar PSR J1801-23, strong 1720 MHz OH masers and molecular clouds on the north and east boundaries of the remnant. An analysis tailored to extended and off-axis point sources was used, and no evidence for TeV gamma-ray emission from any of the features described above was found in data taken over the 1994 and 1995 seasons. Our upper limit (E>1.5 TeV) for a diffuse source of radius 0.25deg encompassing both molecular clouds was calculated at 6.64e-12 photons cm^-2 s^-1 (from 1994 data), and interpreted within the framework of a model predicting TeV gamma-rays from shocked-accelerated hadrons. Our upper limit suggests the need for some cutoff in the parent spectrum of accelerated hadrons and/or slightly steeper parent spectra than that used here (-2.1). As to the nature of 3EG J1800-2338, it possibly does not result entirely from pi-zero decay, a conclusion also consistent with its location in relation to W28.
We present some arguments in support of the association of the pulsar PSR B1706-44 with the supernova remnant G343.1-2.3, based on the idea that these objects could be the result of a supernova explosion within a mushroom-like cavity (created by the supernova progenitor wind breaking out of the parent molecular cloud). We suggest that in addition to the known bright half of G343.1-2.3 there should exist a more extended and weaker component, such that the actual shape of G343.1-2.3 is similar to that of the well-known SNR VRO 42.05.01. We have found such a component in archival radio data.
Interstellar medium clouds in the W28 region are emitting gamma-rays and it is likely that the W28 supernova remnant is responsible, making W28 a prime candidate for the study of cosmic-ray acceleration and diffusion. Understanding the influence of both supernova remnant shocks and cosmic rays on local molecular clouds can help to identify multi-wavelength signatures of probable cosmic-ray sources. To this goal, transitions of OH, SiO, NH3, HCO+ and CS have complemented CO in allowing a characterization of the chemically rich environment surrounding W28. This remnant has been an ideal test-bed for techniques that will complement arcminute-scale studies of cosmic-ray source candidates with future GeV-PeV gamma-ray observations.
We present an analysis of moderately high resolution optical spectra obtained for the sight line to CD-23 13777, an O9 supergiant that probes high velocity interstellar gas associated with the supernova remnant W28. Absorption components at both high positive and high negative velocity are seen in the interstellar Na I D and Ca II H and K lines toward CD-23 13777. The high velocity components exhibit low Na I/Ca II ratios, suggesting efficient grain destruction by shock sputtering. High column densities of CH+, and high CH+/CH ratios, for the components seen at lower velocity may be indicative of enhanced turbulence in the clouds interacting with W28. The highest positive and negative velocities of the components seen in Na I and Ca II absorption toward CD-23 13777 imply that the velocity of the blast wave associated with W28 is at least 150 km/s, a value that is significantly higher than most previous estimates. The line of sight to CD-23 13777 passes very close to a well-known site of interaction between the SNR and a molecular cloud to the northeast. The northeast molecular cloud exhibits broad molecular line emission, OH maser emission from numerous locations, and bright extended GeV and TeV gamma-ray emission. The sight line to CD-23 13777 is thus a unique and valuable probe of the interaction between W28 and dense molecular gas in its environs. Future observations at UV and visible wavelengths will help to better constrain the abundances, kinematics, and physical conditions in the shocked and quiescent gas along this line of sight.
We present 12 mm Mopra observations of the dense (>10^3 cm^-3 ) molecular gas towards the north-east (NE) of the W28 supernova remnant (SNR). This cloud is spatially well-matched to the TeV gamma-ray source HESS J1801-233 and is known to be a SNR-molecular cloud interaction region. Shock-disruption is evident from broad NH3 (1,1) spectral line-widths in regions towards the W28 SNR, while strong detections of spatially-extended NH3(3,3), NH3(4,4) and NH3(6,6) inversion emission towards the cloud strengthen the case for the existence of high temperatures within the cloud. Velocity dispersion measurements and NH3(n,n)/(1,1) ratio maps, where n=2, 3, 4 and 6, indicate that the source of disruption is from the side of the cloud nearest to the W28 SNR, suggesting that it is the source of cloud-disruption. Towards part of the cloud, the ratio of ortho to para-NH3 is observed to exceed 2, suggesting gas-phase NH3 enrichment due to NH3 liberation from dust grain mantles. The measured NH3 abundance with respect to H2 is ~(1.2+/-0.5)*10^-9, which is not high, as might be expected for a hot, dense molecular cloud enriched by sublimated grain-surface molecules. The results are suggestive of NH3 sublimation and destruction in this molecular cloud, which is likely to be interacting with the W28 SNR shock.