The distribution of ejecta in young supernova remnants offers a powerful observational probe of their explosions and progenitors. Here we present a 3D reconstruction of the ejecta in SNR 0540-69.3, which is an O-rich remnant with a pulsar wind nebula
located in the LMC. We use observations from VLT/MUSE to study Hbeta, [O III] lambda lambda 4959, 5007, Halpha, [S II] lambda lambda 6717, 6731, [Ar III] lambda 7136 and [S III] lambda 9069 emission lines. This is complemented by 2D spectra from VLT/X-shooter, which also cover [O II] lambda lambda 3726, 3729 and [Fe II] lambda 12567. We identify three main emission components: (i) Clumpy rings in the inner nebula (<1000 km/s) with similar morphologies in all lines; (ii) Faint extended [O III] emission dominated by an irregular ring-like structure with radius ~1600 km/s and inclination ~40 dg, but with maximal velocities reaching ~3000 km/s; and (iii) A blob of Halpha and Hbeta located southeast of the pulsar at velocities ~1500-3500 km/s. We analyze the geometry using a clump-finding algorithm and use the clumps in the [O III] ring to estimate an age of 1146 pm 116 years. The observations favor an interpretation of the [O III] ring as ejecta, while the origin of the H-blob is more uncertain. An alternative explanation is that it is the blown-off envelope of a binary companion. From the detection of Balmer lines in the innermost ejecta we confirm that SNR 0540 was a Type II supernova and that hydrogen was mixed down to low velocities in the explosion.
We aim to determine the properties of the central region of NGC 1052 using X-ray and radio data. NGC 1052 (z=0.005) has been investigated for decades in different energy bands and shows radio lobes and a low luminosity active galactic nucleus (LLAGN)
. We use X-ray images from Chandra and radio images from Very Large Array (VLA) to explore the morphology of the central area. We also study the spectra of the nucleus and the surrounding region using observations from Chandra and XMM-Newton. We find diffuse soft X-ray radiation and hotspots along the radio lobes. The spectrum of the circum-nuclear region is well described by a thermal plasma (T~0.6 keV) and a power law with photon index Gamma~2.3. The nucleus shows a hard power law (Gamma~1.4) modified by complex absorption. A narrow iron K-alpha line is also clearly detected in all observations, but there is no evidence for relativistic reflection. The extended emission is consistent with originating from extended jets and from jet-triggered shocks in the surrounding medium. The hard power-law emission from the nucleus and the lack of relativistic reflection supports the scenario of inefficient accretion in an Advection Dominated Accretion Flow (ADAF).
The nearby SN 1987A offers a spatially resolved view of the evolution of a young supernova remnant. Here we precent recent Hubble Space Telescope imaging observations of SN 1987A, which we use to study the evolution of the ejecta, the circumstellar e
quatorial ring (ER) and the increasing emission from material outside the ER. We find that the inner ejecta have been brightening at a gradually slower rate and that the western side has been brighter than the eastern side since ~7000 days. This is expected given that the X-rays from the ER are most likely powering the ejecta emission. At the same time the optical emission from the ER continues to fade linearly with time. The ER is expanding at 680pm 50 km/s, which reflects the typical velocity of transmitted shocks in the dense hotspots. A dozen spots and a rim of diffuse H-alpha emission have appeared outside the ER since 9500 days. The new spots are more than an order of magnitude fainter than the spots in the ER and also fade faster. We show that the spots and diffuse emission outside the ER may be explained by fast ejecta interacting with high-latitude material that extends from the ER toward the outer rings. Further observations of this emission will make it possible to determine the detailed geometry of the high-latitude material and provide insight into the formation of the rings and the mass-loss history of the progenitor.
A small fraction of Narrow Line Seyfert 1s (NLSy1s) are observed to be gamma-ray emitters. Understanding the properties of these sources is of interest since the majority of NLSy1s are very different from typical blazars. Here, we present a multi-fre
quency analysis of FBQS J1644+2619, one of the most recently discovered gamma-ray emitting NLSy1s. We analyse an ~80 ks XMM-Newton observation obtained in 2017, as well as quasi-simultaneous multi-wavelength observations covering the radio - gamma-ray range. The spectral energy distribution of the source is similar to the other gamma-ray NLSy1s, confirming its blazar-like nature. The X-ray spectrum is characterised by a hard photon index (Gamma = 1.66) above 2 keV and a soft excess at lower energies.The hard photon index provides clear evidence that inverse Compton emission from the jet dominates the spectrum, while the soft excess can be explained by a contribution from the underlying Seyfert emission. This contribution can be fitted by reflection of emission from the base of the jet, as well as by Comptonisation in a warm, optically thick corona. We discuss our results in the context of the other gamma-ray NLSy1s and note that the majority of them have similar X-ray spectra, with properties intermediate between blazars and radio-quiet NLSy1s.
Due to its proximity, SN 1987A offers a unique opportunity to directly observe the geometry of a stellar explosion as it unfolds. Here we present spectral and imaging observations of SN 1987A obtained ~10,000 days after the explosion with HST/STIS an
d VLT/SINFONI at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. These observations allow us to produce the most detailed 3D map of H-alpha to date, the first 3D maps for [Ca II] lambda lambda 7292, 7324, [O I] lambda lambda 6300, 6364 and Mg II lambda lambda 9218, 9244, as well as new maps for [Si I]+[Fe II] 1.644 mu m and He I 2.058 mu m. A comparison with previous observations shows that the [Si I]+[Fe II] flux and morphology have not changed significantly during the past ten years, providing evidence that it is powered by 44Ti. The time-evolution of H-alpha shows that it is predominantly powered by X-rays from the ring, in agreement with previous findings. All lines that have sufficient signal show a similar large-scale 3D structure, with a north-south asymmetry that resembles a broken dipole. This structure correlates with early observations of asymmetries, showing that there is a global asymmetry that extends from the inner core to the outer envelope. On smaller scales, the two brightest lines, H-alpha and [Si I]+[Fe II] 1.644 mu m, show substructures at the level of ~ 200 - 1000 km/s and clear differences in their 3D geometries. We discuss these results in the context of explosion models and the properties of dust in the ejecta.
We report on radio-to-gamma-ray observations during 2011 May-September of PMN J0948+0022, the first narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) galaxy detected in gamma-rays by Fermi-LAT. Strong variability was observed in gamma-rays, with two flaring periods peak
ing on 2011 June 20 and July 28. The variability observed in optical and near-infrared seems to have no counterpart in gamma-rays. This different behaviour could be related to a bending and inhomogeneous jet or a turbulent extreme multi-cell scenario. The radio spectra showed a variability pattern typical of relativistic jets. The XMM spectrum shows that the emission from the jet dominates above 2 keV, while a soft X-ray excess is evident in the low-energy part of the X-ray spectrum. Models where the soft emission is partly produced by blurred reflection or Comptonisation of the thermal disc emission provide good fits to the data. The X-ray spectral slope is similar to that found in radio-quiet NLSy1, suggesting that a standard accretion disc is present, as expected from the high accretion rate. Except for the soft X-ray excess, unusual in jet-dominated AGNs, PMN J0948+0022 shows all characteristics of the blazar class.
We present the late-time optical light curve of the ejecta of SN 1987A measured from HST imaging observations spanning the past 17 years. We find that the flux from the ejecta declined up to around year 2001, powered by the radioactive decay of 44Ti.
Then the flux started to increase, more than doubling by the end of 2009. We show that the increase is the result of energy deposited by X-rays produced in the interaction with the circumstellar medium. We suggest that the change of the dominant energy input to the ejecta, from internal to external, marks the transition from supernova to supernova remnant. The details of the observations and the modelling are described in the accompanying supplementary information.
