The Youngest Galactic Supernova Remnant: G1.9+0.3

Abstract

Our 50 ks Chandra observation of the small radio supernova remnant (SNR) G1.9+0.3 shows a complete shell structure with strong bilateral symmetry, about $100^{\prime \prime }$ in diameter. The radio morphology is also shell-like, but only about $84^{\prime \prime }$ in diameter, based on observations made in 1985. We attribute the size difference to expansion between 1985 and our Chandra observations of 2007. Expansion is confirmed in comparing radio images from 1985 and 2008. We deduce that G1.9+0.3 is of order 100 years old -- the youngest supernova remnant in the Galaxy. Based on a very high absorbing column density of $5.5\times 10^{22}$ cm${}^{-2}$, we place G1.9+0.3 near the Galactic Center, at a distance of about 8.5 kpc, where the mean remnant radius would be about 2 pc, and the required expansion speed about $14,000$ km s${}^{-1}$. The X-ray spectrum is featureless and well-described by the exponentially cut off synchrotron model {\tt srcut}. With the radio flux at 1 GHz fixed at 0.9 Jy, we find a spectral index of 0.65 and a rolloff frequency of $1.4\times 10^{18}$ Hz. The implied characteristic rolloff electron energy of about $94(B/10\mu \mathrm{G}{)}^{-1/2}$ TeV is the highest ever reported for a shell supernova remnant. It can easily be reached by standard diffusive shock acceleration, given the very high shock velocities; it can be well described by either age-limited or synchrotron-loss-limited acceleration. Not only is G1.9+0.3 the youngest known Galactic remnant, it is also only the fourth Galactic X-ray synchrotron-dominated shell supernova remnant.

4 pages, 5 figures; revised to include new radio data and accepted for ApJL

References in corpus (2)

• Infrared Echoes near the Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
• Structure of the interstellar medium around Cas A

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Scattered-Light Echoes from the Historical Galactic Supernovae Cassiopeia A and Tycho (SN 1572)
• The radio expansion and brightening of the very young supernova remnant G1.9+0.3
• X-ray Spectral Variations in the Youngest Galactic Supernova Remnant G1.9+0.3
• The (Re-)Discovery of G350.1-0.3: A Young, Luminous Supernova Remnant and Its Neutron Star
• A 20 Year Radio Light Curve for the Young Supernova Remnant G1.9+0.3
• Dynamic Evolution Model of Isothermal Voids and Shocks
• Modeling Magnetic Field Amplification in Nonlinear Diffusive Shock Acceleration