Carbon Monoxide in the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant

Abstract

We report the likely detection of near-infrared 2.29 $\mu$m first overtone Carbon Monoxide (CO) emission from the young supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A). The continuum-subtracted CO filter map reveals CO knots within the ejecta-rich reverse shock. We compare the first overtone CO emission with that found in the well-studied supernova, SN 1987A and find $\sim$30 times less CO in Cas A. The presence of CO suggests that molecule mixing is small in the SN ejecta and that astrochemical processes and molecule formation may continue at least ~300 years after the initial explosion.

Accepted for the publication in ApJ Letter

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• SOFIA mid-infrared observations of Supernova 1987A in 2016 --- forward shocks and possible dust re-formation in the post-shocked region?
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• Spectroscopic detection of Carbon Monoxide in the Young Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A
• Element Abundances in the Unshocked Ejecta of Cassiopeia A
• CO rotational line emission from a dense knot in Cas A Evidence for active post-reverse-shock chemistry
• Origin of gamma-ray emission in the shell of Cassiopeia A
• Interaction between Cassiopeia A and Nearby Molecular Clouds
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• Spitzer Observations of Dust Emission from HII Regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud