How to create Sgr A East: Where did the supernova explode?

Abstract

Sgr A East is the supernova remnant closest to the centre of the Milky Way. Its age has been estimated to be either very young, around 1-2 kyr, or about 10 kyr, and its exact origin remains unclear. We aspire to create a simple model of a supernova explosion that reproduces the shape, size, and location of Sgr A East. Using a simplified hydrodynamical code, we simulated the evolution of a supernova remnant in the medium around the Galactic centre. The latter consists of a nearby massive molecular cloud with which Sgr A East is known to be interacting and a wind from the nuclear star cluster. Our preferred models of the Sgr A East remnant are compatible with an age of around 10 kyr. We also find suitable solutions for older ages, but not for ages younger than 5 kyr. Our simulations predict that the supernova exploded at a distance of about 3.5 pc from the Galactic centre, below the Galactic plane, slightly eastwards from the centre and 3 pc behind it.

13 pages, 15 figures, accepted by A&A

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Cited by in corpus (8)

• SOFIA/HAWC+ Far-Infrared Polarimetric Large-Area CMZ Exploration (FIREPLACE) Survey III: Full Survey Data Set
• 25 years of XMM-Newton observations of the Sgr A complex: 3D distribution and internal structure of the clouds
• Hydrodynamic Evolution of Sgr A East: The Imprint of A Supernova Remnant in the Galactic Center
• X-rays from a Central "Exhaust Vent" of the Galactic Center Chimney
• Mass flows in the Galactic Center by supernovae of the circumnuclear disk
• The Discovery of an Active Wind from the Milky Way's Black Hole
• A 3D model for the stellar populations in the nuclei of NGC 1433,NGC 1566, and NGC 1808
• High Energy Emission from the Galactic Center