Deep MUSE observations of SNR 0509-67.5 reveal a double degenerate merger progenitor

Priyam Das; Ivo R. Seitenzahl; Gilles Ferrand; Rudiger Pakmor; Simon J. Murphy; Ashley Ruiter; Brian P. Schmidt; Friedrich K. Roepke

doi:10.1093/mnras/stag1329

paper

Deep MUSE observations of SNR 0509-67.5 reveal a double degenerate merger progenitor

arXiv:2608.11978 · doi:10.1093/mnras/stag1329

Abstract

Deep MUSE observations of SNR 0509-67.5 reveal that the coronal [Fe\,\textsc{xiv}] $λ$ 5303 emission line appears with either one or two velocity components across the entire remnant, arising from reverse-shocked ejecta moving toward and away from the observer. A supervised dense neural network classifies each spaxel and fits Gaussian profiles plus a linear function to the observed line emission. We measure a bulk Doppler velocity of $- 1000 \pm 60 km s^{- 1}$ , interpreted as the line-of-sight component of the primary white dwarf's orbital velocity in a double-degenerate merger. The red- and blue-shifted ejecta map shows a flattened edge along the north-eastern rim, consistent with the companion's shadow, indicating a binary companion was present at explosion. Modelling this feature as a cone anchored at the explosion centre and applying Bayesian inference, we recover the cone's orientation and half-opening angle. We then use the Eggleton Roche-lobe relation to infer properties of the companion. The companion was likely a $\sim 0.6 M_{⊙}$ white dwarf with radius $\sim 9800$ ~km and orbital velocity $\sim 1700 km s^{- 1}$ at the time of explosion. Together, these results provide a complete dynamical picture of a Type Ia supernova progenitor system whose maximum-light spectrum is independently constrained by light echo observations.

arXiv comment14 pages, 10 figures, supplementary materials

Deep MUSE observations of SNR 0509-67.5 reveal a double degenerate merger progenitor

Abstract

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