A New Distance to the Supernova Remnant DA 530 Based on H i Absorption of Polarized Emission

Abstract

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are significant contributors of matter and energy to the interstellar medium. Understanding the impact and the mechanism of this contribution requires knowledge of the physical size, energy, and expansion rate of individual SNRs, which can only come if reliable distances can be obtained. We aim to determine the distance to the SNR DA 530 (G93.3+6.9), an object of low surface brightness. To achieve this, we used the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory Synthesis Telescope and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Very Large Array to observe the absorption by intervening H i of the polarized emission from DA 530. Significant absorption was detected at velocities −28 and −67 km s−1 (relative to the local standard of rest), corresponding to distances of 4.4 and 8.3 kpc, respectively. Based on the radio and X-ray characteristics of DA 530, we conclude that the minimum distance is kpc. At this minimum distance, the diameter of the SNR is 34 pc, and the elevation above the Galactic plane is 537 pc. The −67 km s−1 absorption likely occurs in gas whose velocity is not determined by Galactic rotation. We present a new data processing method for combining Stokes Q and U observations of the emission from an SNR into a single H i absorption spectrum, which avoids the difficulties of the noise-bias subtraction required for the calculation of polarized intensity. The polarized absorption technique can be applied to determine the distances to many more SNRs.