Chandra Observations of Shock Kinematics in Supernova Remnant 1987A

Abstract

We report the first results from deep X-ray observations of the SNR 1987A with the Chandra LETG. Temperatures inferred from line ratios range from 0.1 - 2 keV and increase with ionization potential. Expansion velocities inferred from X-ray line profiles range from 300 - 1700 km/s, much less than the velocities inferred from the radial expansion of the radio and X-ray images. We can account for these observations with a scenario in which the X-rays are emitted by shocks produced where the supernova blast wave strikes dense protrusions of the inner circumstellar ring, which are also responsible for the optical hot spots.

12 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL

References in corpus (6)

• Evolution of the Radio Remnant of SN 1987A: 1990 -- 2001
• Modelling the Hubble Space Telescope Ultraviolet and Optical Spectrum of Spot 1 on the Circumstellar Ring of SN 1987A
• The X-ray Spectrum of Supernova Remnant 1987A
• A Chandra View of The Morphological And Spectral Evolution of Supernova Remnant 1987A
• Evolution and Geometry of Hot Spots in Supernova Remnant 1987A
• Supernova Remnant 1987A: The Latest Report from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory

Cited by in corpus (24)

• Collisionless shock heating of heavy ions in SN 1987A
• High-Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy of SNR 1987A: Chandra LETG and HETG Observations in 2007
• Chandra observations of SN 1987A: the soft X-ray light curve revisited
• The Polar Regions of Cassiopeia A: The Aftermath of a Gamma Ray Burst?
• Supernova Remnant 1987A: Opening the Future by Reaching the Past
• Time evolution of the line emission from the inner circumstellar ring of SN 1987A and its hot spots
• Evolutionary Status of SNR 1987A at the Age of Eighteen
• Chandra LETG Observations of Supernova Remnant 1987A
• X-ray Evolution of SNR 1987A: The Radial Expansion
• Chandra HETG Spectra of SN 1987A at 20 years
• XMM-Newton observations of SN1987A
• Evolution of the Chandra CCD Spectra of SNR 1987A: Probing the Reflected-Shock Picture
• High Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy of SN 1987A: Monitoring with XMM-Newton
• Probing Elemental Abundances in SNR 1987A Using XMM-Newton
• Thermal Emission and Radioactive Lines, but No Pulsar, in the Broadband X-Ray Spectrum of Supernova 1987A
• The reverse shock of SNR1987A at 18 years after outburst
• FUV and X-ray Observations of the Reverse Shock in the SMC SNR 1E 0102.2-7219
• Coronal emission from the shocked circumstellar ring of SN 1987A
• A New Evolutionary Phase of Supernova Remnant 1987A
• Electron Heating, Magnetic Field Amplification, and Cosmic Ray Precursor Length at Supernova Remnant Shocks
• The Post-impact Evolution of the X-ray Emitting Gas in SNR 1987A Viewed by XMM-Newton
• Spectral Evolution of the X-Ray Remnant of SN 1987A: A High-Resolution $Chandra$ HETG Study
• High-cadence Dispersed Spectral Analysis of Supernova Remnant 1987A
• Kinematics of Supernova Remnants: Status of X-Ray Observations