X-Ray Luminosity and Size Relationship of Supernova Remnants in the LMC

Abstract

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has $\sim$60 confirmed supernova remnants (SNRs). Because of the known distance, 50 kpc, the SNRs' angular sizes can be converted to linear sizes, and their X-ray observations can be used to assess X-ray luminosities ($L_X$). We have critically examined the LMC SNRs' sizes reported in the literature to determine the most plausible sizes. These sizes and the $L_X$ determined from \emph{XMM-Newton} observations are used to investigate their relationship in order to explore the environmental and evolutionary effects on the X-ray properties of SNRs. We find: (1) Small LMC SNRs, a few to 10 pc in size, are all of Type Ia with $L_X>10^{36}$ ergs s${}^{-1}$. The scarcity of small core-collapse (CC) SNRs is a result of CCSNe exploding in the low-density interiors of interstellar bubbles blown by their massive progenitors during their main sequence phase. (2) Medium-sized (10-30 pc) CC SNRs show bifurcation in $L_X$, with the X-ray-bright SNRs either in an environment associated with molecular clouds or containing pulsars and pulsar wind nebulae and the X-ray-faint SNRs being located in low-density interstellar environments. (3) Large (size$>$30 pc) SNRs show a trend of $L_X$ fading with size, although the scatter is large. The observed relationship between $L_X$ and sizes can help constrain models of SNR evolution.

arXiv commentAccepted for publication in the ApJ

References in corpus (31)

• Maps of Dust IR Emission for Use in Estimation of Reddening and CMBR Foregrounds
• An eclipsing binary distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud accurate to 2 per cent
• Supernova remnants: the X-ray perspective
• The Youngest Galactic Supernova Remnant: G1.9+0.3
• ASCA X-Ray Spectroscopy of LMC Supernova Remnants and the Metal Abundances of the LMC
• The Evolution of Supernovae in Circumstellar Wind-Blown Bubbles I. Introduction and One-Dimensional Calculations
• The population of X-ray supernova remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Statistical Analysis of Supernova Remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• On the size distribution of supernova remnants in the Magellanic Clouds
• Supernova Remnants in the Magellanic Clouds III: An X-ray Atlas of LMC Supernova Remnants
• Supernova Remnants Associated with Molecular Clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Iron-Rich Ejecta in the Supernova Remnant DEM L71
• Radioactive Scandium in the Youngest Galactic Supernova Remnant G1.9+0.3
• ROSAT and ASCA observations of the Crab-Like Supernova Remnant N157B in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• An X-Ray Study of Supernova Remnant N49 and Soft Gamma-Ray Repeater 0526-66 in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• A spatially resolved plerionic X-ray nebula around PSR B0540-69
• Thermal X-Ray Emission from Shocked Ejecta in Type Ia Supernova Remnants II: Parameters Affecting the Spectrum
• An estimate of the structural parameters of the Large Magellanic Cloud using red clump stars
• Raising the Dead: Clues to Type Ia Supernova Physics from the Remnant 0509-67.5
• Supernova Ejecta in the Youngest Galactic Supernova Remnant G1.9+0.3
• A Universal Luminosity Function for Radio Supernova Remnants
• The kinematics and chemical stratification of the Type Ia supernova remnant 0519-69.0
• Interstellar Bubbles in Two Young HII Regions
• Revealing New Physical Structures in the Supernova Remnant N63A through Chandra Imaging Spectroscopy
• X-Ray Emission from Multi-Phase Shock in the Large Magellanic Cloud Supernova Remnant N49
• Discovery of a New Pulsar Wind Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Supernova Remnants and Star Formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Supernova Remnants in the Large Magellanic Clouds IX: Multiwavelength Analysis of the Physical Structure of N49
• Nonuniform Expansion of the Youngest Galactic Supernova Remnant G1.9+0.3
• Multi-frequency study of DEM L299 in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Towards an explanation for the 30 Dor (LMC) Honeycomb nebula - the impact of recent observations and spectral analysis

Cited by in corpus (11)

• Search for Surviving Companions of Progenitors of Young LMC Type Ia Supernova Remnants
• X-ray spectroscopy of the candidate AGN in Henize 2-10 and NGC 4178: Likely supernova remnants
• Critical Metallicity of Cool Supergiant Formation. I. Effects on Stellar Mass Loss and Feedback
• An Exploration of X-ray Supernova Remnants in the Milky Way and Nearby Galaxies
• Searching for Balmer-dominated Type Ia Supernova Remnants in M33
• Possible Detection of X-Ray Emitting Circumstellar Material in the Synchrotron-Dominated Supernova Remnant RX J 1713.7-3946
• The Shellless SNR B0532-67.5 in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• The X-ray-Resolved Supernova Remnant S8 in the Dwarf Irregular Galaxy IC 1613
• The Nature of the Young Supernova Remnant S8 in the Dwarf Galaxy IC 1613
• ALMA discovery of Punctum -- a highly polarized mm source in nuclear starburst galaxy NGC 4945
• Molecular Formation in Low-Metallicity Hot Cores