INTERACTION BETWEEN THE SUPERNOVA REMNANT HB 3 AND THE NEARBY STAR-FORMING REGION W3

Abstract

ABSTRACT We performed millimeter observations of CO lines toward the supernova remnant (SNR) HB 3. Substantial molecular gas around −45 km s−1 is detected in the conjunction region between the SNR HB 3 and the nearby W3 complex. This molecular gas is distributed along the radio continuum shell of the remnant. Furthermore, the shocked molecular gas indicated by line wing broadening features is also distributed along the radio shell and inside it. By both morphological correspondence and dynamical evidence, we confirm that the SNR HB 3 interacts with the −45 km s−1 molecular cloud (MC), in essence, with the nearby H ii region/MC complex W3. The redshifted line wing broadening features indicate that the remnant is located at the nearside of the MC. With this association, we could place the remnant at the same distance as the W3/W4 complex, which is 1.95 ± 0.04 kpc. The spatial distribution of aggregated young stellar object candidates shows a correlation with the shocked molecular strip associated with the remnant. We also find a binary clump of CO at (l = 132.°94, b = 1.°12) around −51.5 km s−1 inside the projected extent of the remnant, and it is associated with significant mid-infrared emission. The binary system also has a tail structure resembling the tidal tails of interacting galaxies. According to the analysis of CO emission lines, the larger clump in this binary system is about stable, and the smaller clump is significantly disturbed.