X-ray Stripes in Tycho's Supernova Remant: Synchrotron Footprints of a Nonlinear Cosmic Ray-driven Instability

Abstract

High-resolution Chandra observations of Tycho's SNR have revealed several sets of quasi-steady, high-emissivity, nearly-parallel X-ray stripes in some localized regions of the SNR. These stripes are most likely the result of cosmic-ray (CR) generated magnetic turbulence at the SNR blast wave. However, for the amazingly regular pattern of these stripes to appear requires the simultaneous action of a number of shock-plasma phenomena and is not predicted by most models of magnetic field amplification. A consistent explanation of these stripes yields information on the complex nonlinear plasma processes connecting efficient CR acceleration and magnetic field fluctuations in strong collisionless shocks. The nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration (NL-DSA) model described here, which includes magnetic field amplification from a cosmic-ray current driven instability, does predict stripes consistent with the synchrotron emission observations of Tycho's SNR. We argue that the local ambient mean magnetic field geometry determines the orientation of the stripes and therefore it can be reconstructed with the high resolution X-ray imaging. The estimated maximum energy of the CR protons responsible for the stripes is $\sim 10^{15}$\,eV. Furthermore, the model predicts that a specific X-ray polarization pattern, with a polarized fraction ~ 50%, accompanies the stripes, which can be tested with future X-ray polarimeter missions.

Astrophysical J. Letter in press, 5 pages, 2 Figures

References in corpus (5)

• Production of Magnetic Turbulence by Cosmic Rays Drifting Upstream of Supernova Remnant Shocks
• Modeling Bell's Non-resonant Cosmic Ray Instability
• The maximum momentum of particles accelerated at cosmic ray modified shocks
• The transport of cosmic rays in self-excited magnetic turbulence
• Turbulence Dissipation and Particle Injection in Non-Linear Diffusive Shock Acceleration with Magnetic Field Amplification

Cited by in corpus (12)

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• Spatial distribution of X-ray emitting ejecta in Tycho's SNR: indications of shocked Titanium
• A Study of background for IXPE
• Time Variability of Nonthermal X-ray Stripes in Tycho's Supernova Remnant with Chandra
• A NuSTAR and Chandra Investigation of the Misaligned Outflow of PSR J1101-6101 and the Lighthouse Pulsar Wind Nebula
• Relativistic magnetohydrodynamical simulations of the resonant corrugation of a fast shock front
• Probing Magnetic Fields in Young Supernova Remnants with IXPE
• Wave Propagation at Oblique Shocks: How Did Tycho Get Its Stripes?
• Radio polarization maps of shell-type SNRs II. Sedov models with evolution of turbulent magnetic field