The remnant of Supernova 1987A resolved at 3 mm wavelength

Abstract

The proximity of core-collapse Supernova 1987A (SN1987A) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and its rapid evolution make it a unique case study of the development of a young supernova remnant. We aim at resolving the remnant of SN1987A for the first time in the 3-mm band (at 94 GHz). We observed the source at 3-mm wavelength with a 750-m configuration of the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). We compare the image with a recent 3-cm image and with archival X-ray images. We present a diffraction-limited image with a resolution of 0.7", revealing the ring structure seen at lower frequencies and at other wavebands. The emission peaks in the eastern part of the ring. The 3-mm image bears resemblance to early X-ray images (from 1999-2000). We place an upper limit of 1 mJy (2 σ) on any discrete source of emission in the centre (inside of the ring). The integrated flux density at 3 mm has doubled over the six years since the previous observations at 3 mm. At 3 mm - i.e. within the operational domain of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) - SN1987A appears to be dominated by synchrotron radiation from the inner rim of the equatorial ring, characterised by moderately-weak shocks. There is no clear sign of emission of a different nature, but the current limits do not rule out such component altogether.

Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters

References in corpus (2)

• Fourier Modeling of the Radio Torus Surrounding Supernova 1987A
• Zooming in on Supernova 1987A at sub-mm wavelengths

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• Spectral and morphological analysis of the remnant of Supernova 1987A with ALMA & ATCA
• High-resolution radio observations of SNR 1987A at high frequencies
• Late Spectral Evolution of the Ejecta and Reverse Shock in SN1987A
• GAMA/H-ATLAS: The Dust Opacity - Stellar Mass Surface Density Relation for Spiral Galaxies
• The 30-Year Search for the Compact Object in SN 1987A
• Carbon Monoxide in the Cold Debris of Supernova 1987A
• Evolution of the Radio Remnant of Supernova 1987A: Morphological Changes from Day 7000
• Multi-dimensional simulations of the expanding supernova remnant of SN 1987A
• SN 1978K: An evolved supernova outside our Local Group detected at millimetre wavelengths
• ALMA discovery of Punctum -- a highly polarized mm source in nuclear starburst galaxy NGC 4945
• The radio remnant of Supernova 1987A at high frequencies and high resolution