On the Expansion, Age, and Origin of the Puzzling Shell/Pulsar Wind Nebula G310.6-1.6
| Autor: | Stephen P. Reynolds, Kazimierz J. Borkowski |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
Physics Nebula 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena FOS: Physical sciences White dwarf Astronomy and Astrophysics Astrophysics Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics 01 natural sciences Pulsar wind nebula Interstellar medium Supernova Neutron star Pulsar Space and Planetary Science 0103 physical sciences Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Supernova remnant Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena 010303 astronomy & astrophysics Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics 0105 earth and related environmental sciences |
| Popis: | We present a 142-ks Chandra observation of the enigmatic combination supernova remnant G310.6-1.6 consisting of a bright pulsar-wind nebula driven by an energetic pulsar, surrounded by a highly circular, very faint shell with a featureless, probably synchrotron, spectrum. Comparison with an observation 6 years earlier shows no measurable expansion of the shell, though some features in the pulsar-wind nebula have moved. We find an expansion age of at least 2500 yr, implying a current shock velocity less than about 1000 km/s. We place severe upper limits on thermal emission from the shell; if the shell locates the blast wave, a Sedov interpretation would require the remnant to be very young, about 1000 yr, and to have resulted from a dramatically sub-energetic supernova, ejecting << 0.02 M_sun with energy E < 3 x 10^47 erg. Even a merger-induced collapse of a white dwarf to a neutron star, with a low-energy explosion, is unlikely to produce such an event. Other explanations seem equally unlikely. 11 pages, 10 figures; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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