Near-infrared [Fe II] and H${}_2$ Emission-line Study of Galactic Supernova Remnants in the First Quadrant

Abstract

We report the detection of near-infrared (NIR) [Fe II] (1.644 $\mu$m) and H${}_2$ 1-0 S(1) (2.122 $\mu$m) line features associated with Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs) in the first quadrant using two narrowband imaging surveys, UWIFE and UWISH2. Among the total of 79 SNRs fully covered by both surveys, we found 19 [Fe II]-emitting and 19 H${}_2$-emitting SNRs, giving a detection rate of 24% for each. Eleven SNRs show both emission features. The detection rate of [Fe II] and H${}_2$ peaks at the Galactic longitude ($l$) of $40^{\circ }$-$50^{\circ }$ and $30^{\circ }$-$40^{\circ }$, respectively, and gradually decreases toward smaller/larger $l$. Five out of the eleven SNRs emitting both emission lines clearly show an "[Fe II]-H${}_2$ reversal," where H${}_2$ emission features are found outside the SNR boundary in [Fe II] emission. Our NIR spectroscopy shows that the H${}_2$ emission originates from collisionally excited H${}_2$ gas. The brightest SNR in both [Fe II] and H${}_2$ emissions is W49B, contributing more than 70% and 50% of the total [Fe II] 1.644 $\mu$m ($2.0\times 10^4$ L${}_{\odot }$) and H${}_2$ 2.122 $\mu$m ($1.2\times 10^3$ L${}_{\odot }$) luminosities of the detected SNRs. The total [Fe II] 1.644 $\mu$m luminosity of our Galaxy is a few times smaller than that expected from the SN rate using the correlation found in nearby starburst galaxies. We discuss possible explanations for this.

45 pages, 11 figures, 6 tables; accepted in AJ on 2019 Jan. 26

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Cited by in corpus (16)

• Distances to the Supernova Remnants in the Inner Disk
• Radiative Supernova Remnants and Supernova Feedback
• High-resolution Near-infrared Spectroscopic Study of Galactic Supernova Remnants. I. Kinematic Distances
• Quantitative Age Estimation of Supernova Remnants and Associated Pulsars
• Thermal radio absorption as a tracer of the interaction of SNRs with their environments
• Unusually high HCO+/CO ratios in and outside supernova remnant W49B
• The Supernova Remnant Population of NGC6946 as Observed in [Fe II] 1.644 $\mu$m with HST
• The warm outer layer of a Little Red Dot as the source of [Fe II] and collisional Balmer lines with scattering wings
• Near-infrared spectroscopy of embedded protostars in the massive metal-poor star-forming region NGC 346
• Polarized Emission From Four Supernova Remnants In The THOR Survey
• Pulsar Wind Nebulae
• HAWC Study of Very-High-Energy $\gamma$-ray Spectrum of HAWC J1844-034
• Distances of Galactic Radio Pulsars; First Quadrant: $-2^{\circ }<\ell <90^{\circ }$ and $-2^{\circ }<b<2^{\circ }$
• Extended Ionized Fe Objects in the UWIFE Survey
• Near-Infrared Polarimetry and H${}_2$ emission toward Massive Young Stars: Discovery of a Bipolar Outflow associated to S235 e2s3
• Broadband radio study of the supernova remnant Kes 73