Optical tomography of chemical elements synthesized in Type Ia supernovae

Abstract

We report the discovery of optical emission from the non-radiative shocked ejecta of three young Type Ia supernova remnants (SNRs): SNR 0519-69.0, SNR 0509-67.5, and N103B. Deep integral field spectroscopic observations reveal broad and spatially resolved [Fe XIV] 5303Å emission. The width of the broad line reveals, for the first time, the reverse shock speeds. For two of the remnants we can constrain the underlying supernova explosions with evolutionary models. SNR 0519-69.0 is well explained by a standard near-Chandrasekhar mass explosion, whereas for SNR 0509-67.5 our analysis suggests an energetic sub-Chandrasekhar mass explosion. With [S XII], [Fe IX], and [Fe XV] also detected, we can uniquely visualize different layers of the explosion. We refer to this new analysis technique as "supernova remnant tomography".

Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters. Main article and supplemental material combined here into 1 file

References in corpus (8)

• The MAPPINGS III Library of Fast Radiative Shock Models
• An eclipsing binary distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud accurate to 2 per cent
• A Physical Relationship Between Electron-Proton Temperature Equilibration and Mach Number in Fast Collisionless Shocks
• Collisional Ionization Equilibrium for Optically Thin Plasmas. I. Updated Recombination Rate Coefficients for Bare though Sodium-like Ions
• Spectral Identification of an Ancient Supernova using Light Echoes in the LMC
• The Persistence of Memory, or How the X-Ray Spectrum of SNR 0509-67.5 Reveals the Brightness of its Parent Type Ia Supernova
• Spitzer Observations of the Type Ia Supernova Remnant N103B: Kepler's Older Cousin?
• [Fe XIV] and [Fe XI] reveal the forward shock in SNR 1E0102.2-7219

Cited by in corpus (28)

• Origin of the Heaviest Elements: the Rapid Neutron-Capture Process
• Type Ia Supernova Sub-classes and Progenitor Origin
• Electron-Ion Temperature Ratio in Astrophysical Shocks
• From supernova to supernova remnant: comparison of thermonuclear explosion models
• Cosmic nucleosynthesis: a multi-messenger challenge
• Correlations of r-Process Elements in Very Metal-Poor Stars as Clues to their Nucleosynthesis Sites
• New Optically Identified Supernova Remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• SRG/eROSITA discovery of a large circular SNR candidate G116.6-26.1: SN Ia explosion probing the gas of the Milky Way halo?
• Observational constraints on the origin of the elements. V. Non-LTE abundance ratios of [Ni/Fe] in Galactic stars and enrichment by sub-Chandrasekhar mass SNe
• Heavy Elements Nucleosynthesis On Accreting White Dwarfs: building seeds for the p-process
• Type Ia supernova explosion models are inherently multidimensional
• A Nucleosynthetic Origin for the Southwestern Fe-rich Structure in Kepler's Supernova Remnant
• The Late-Time Light Curves of Type Ia Supernovae: Confronting Models with Observations
• Forbidden Line Emission from Type Ia Supernova Remnants Containing Balmer-Dominated Shells
• Exploration of Aspherical Ejecta Properties in Type Ia Supernova: Progenitor Dependence and Applications to Progenitor Classification
• Type Ia Supernova Models: Asymmetric Remnants and Supernova Remnant G1.9+0.3
• A Hydro-Based MCMC Analysis of SNR 0509-67.5 Revealing the Explosion Properties from Fluid Discontinuities Alone
• Evidence for a Dense, Inhomogeneous Circumstellar Medium in the Type Ia SNR 0519-69.0
• Imagery and UV Spectroscopy of the LMC Supernova Remnant N103B Using HST
• Locating the CSM Emission within the Type Ia Supernova Remnant N103B
• Rapid Expansion of the Young Type Ia Supernova Remnant 0519-69.0: More Evidence for a Circumstellar Shell
• Modelling and simulations of supernova remnants: a short review focused on recent progress in morphological studies
• An X-ray Proper Motion Study of the LMC SNR 0509-67.5
• Linking the properties of accreting white dwarfs with the ionization state of their ambient medium
• Deciphering the explosion mechanism of Type Ia SNe using their remnants II: a deep dive into double detonations with SNR 0509-67.5
• Helium emission from Balmer-dominated shocks in Type Ia supernova remnants provides constraints to their progenitor systems
• Nuclear astrophysics
• Deep MUSE observations of SNR 0509-67.5 reveal a double degenerate merger progenitor