Type Ia Remnants Research Articles

No Surviving SN Ia Companion in SNR 0509-67.5: Stellar Population Characterization and Comparison to Models

The community agrees that Type Ia supernovae arise from carbon/oxygen white dwarfs undergoing thermonuclear runaway. However, the full progenitor system and the process that prompts the white dwarf to explode remain unknown. Most current models suggest that the white dwarf explodes because of interaction with a binary companion that may survive the process and remain within the resulting remnant of the exploded star. Furthermore, both the pre-supernova interaction process and the explosion of the primary are expected to imprint a significant departure from ordinary stellar radii and temperatures onto the secondary, making the star identifiable against the unrelated stellar population. Identification of a surviving companion inside an SN Ia remnant might confirm a specific corresponding SN Ia progenitor channel based on the identity of the companion. We conducted a surviving companion search of the Type Ia remnant SNR 0509−67.5 based in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The well-constrained distance to and foreground extinction of the Large Magellanic Cloud allow for Bayesian inference of stellar parameters with low correlation and uncertainties. We present a deep catalog of fully characterized stars interior to SNR 0509−67.5 with radii, effective temperatures, and metallicities inferred using combined Hubble Space Telescope photometric observations across multiple visits. We then compile a list of surviving companion models appropriate for the age of the remnant (roughly 400 yr after the explosion). We compare these predictions with the inferred stellar parameters and conclude that none of the stars are consistent with the predicted signatures of a surviving companion.

Rapid Expansion of the Young Type Ia Supernova Remnant 0519–69.0: More Evidence for a Circumstellar Shell

The nature of Type Ia supernovae remains controversial. The youngest remnants of Ia supernovae hold clues to the explosion and to the immediate surroundings. We present a third epoch of Chandra observations of the ∼600 yr old Type Ia remnant 0519–69.0 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, extending the time baseline to 21 yr from the initial 2000 observations. We find rapid expansion of X-ray emitting material, with an average velocity of 4760 km s−1. At the distance of the LMC, this corresponds to an undecelerated age of 750 yr, with the true age somewhat lower. We also find that the bright ring of emission has expanded by 1.3%, corresponding to a velocity of 1900 km s−1 and an undecelerated age of 1600 yr. The high velocity of the peripheral X-rays, contrasted with the modest expansion of the main X-ray shell, provides further evidence for a massive shell of circumstellar material.

An exploration of X-ray Supernova remnants in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies

ABSTRACT We probe the environmental properties of X-ray supernova remnants (SNRs) at various points along their evolutionary journey, especially the S-T phase, and their conformance with theoretically derived models of SNR evolution. The remnant size is used as a proxy for the age of the remnant. Our data set includes 34 Milky Way, 59 Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and 5 Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) SNRs. We select remnants that have been definitively typed as either core-collapse (CC) or Type Ia supernovae, with well-defined size estimates, and a thermal X-ray flux measured over the entire remnant. A catalog of SNR size and X-ray luminosity is presented and plotted, with ambient density and age estimates from the literature. Model remnants with a given density, in the Sedov-Taylor (S-T) phase, are overplotted on the diameter-versus-luminosity plot, allowing the evolutionary state and physical properties of SNRs to be compared to each other, and to theoretical models. We find that small, young remnants are predominantly Type Ia remnants or high luminosity CCs, suggesting that many CC SNRs are not detected until after they have emerged from the progenitor’s wind-blown bubble. An examination of the distribution of SNR diameters in the Milky Way and LMC reveals that LMC SNRs must be evolving in an ambient medium which is 30 per cent as dense as that in the Milky Way. This is consistent with ambient density estimates for the Galaxy and LMC.

Can the Fe K-alpha Line Reliably Predict Supernova Remnant Progenitors?

Abstract The centroid energy of the Fe Kα line has been used to identify the progenitors of supernova remnants (SNRs). These investigations generally considered the energy of the centroid derived from the spectrum of the entire remnant. Here we use XMM-Newton data to investigate the Fe Kα centroid in 6 SNRs: 3C 397, N132D, W49B, DEM L71, 1E 0102.2-7219, and Kes 73. In Kes 73 and 1E 0102.2-7219, we fail to detect any Fe Kα emission. We report a tentative first detection of Fe Kα emission in SNR DEM L71 with a centroid energy consistent with its Type Ia designation. In the remaining remnants, the spatial and spectral sensitivity is sufficient to investigate spatial variations of the Fe Kα centroid. We find in N132D and W49B that the centroids in different regions are consistent with those derived from the overall spectrum, although not necessarily with the remnant type identified via other means. However, in SNR 3C 397, we find statistically significant variation in the centroid of up to 100 eV, aligning with the variation in the density structure around the remnant. These variations span the intermediate space between centroid energies signifying core-collapse (CC) and Type Ia remnants. Shifting the dividing line downwards by 50 eV can place all the centroids in the CC region, but contradicts the remnant type obtained via other means. Our results show that caution must be used when employing the Fe Kα centroid of the entire remnant as the sole diagnostic for typing a remnant.

Role of intracluster supernovae in radio mini-haloes in galaxy clusters

Abstract A possibility of generating a population of cosmic ray particles accelerated in supernovae type Ia (SNIa) remnants in the intracluster medium (ICM) is discussed. The presently constrained host-less SNIa rates in the clusters are found to be sufficient to fill a few hundred kpc region with cosmic ray electrons within their typical synchrotron lifetime of 100 Myr. The SNIa have already been considered potential sources of excess Fe abundance in cool-core clusters, distributed heating and turbulence in ICM. A good fraction of total radio power from mini-haloes can be sourced from the SNIa energy deposited in the ICM with required energy conversion efficiency ≤1 per cent. The radio power estimated from low Mach-number shock acceleration in SNIa remnants is consistent with the observations within the uncertainties in the estimates. Some observational properties of the radio mini-haloes are broadly consistent with the SNIa scenario. It is also speculated that radio powers and possibly detections of mini-haloes are linked to star formation and merger histories of the clusters.

Balmer-dominated Shocks Exclude Hot Progenitors for Many Type Ia Supernovae

Abstract The evolutionary mechanism underlying Type Ia supernova explosions remains unknown. However, recent efforts to constrain progenitor models based on the influence that their high energy emission would have on the interstellar medium within galaxies have proven successful. For individual remnants, Balmer-dominated shocks reveal the ionization state of hydrogen in the immediately surrounding gas. Here, we report deep upper limits on the temperature and luminosity of the progenitors of four Type Ia remnants with associated Balmer filaments: SN 1006, 0509-67.5, 0519-69.0, and DEM L71. For SN 1006, existing observations of helium-line emission in the diffuse emission ahead of the shock provide an additional constraint on the helium ionization state in the vicinity of the remnant. Using the photoionization code Cloudy, we show that these constraints exclude any hot, luminous progenitor for SN 1006, including stably hydrogen or helium nuclear-burning white dwarfs (WD), as well as any Chandrasekhar-mass WD accreting matter at ≳9.5 × 10−8 M ⊙ yr−1 via a disk. For 0509-67.5, the Balmer emission alone rules out any such WD accreting ≳1.4 × 10−8 M ⊙ yr−1. For 0519-69.0 and DEM L71, the inferred ambient ionization state of hydrogen is only weakly in tension with a recently hot, luminous progenitor, and cannot be distinguished from, e.g., a relatively higher local Lyman continuum background, without additional line measurements. Future deep spectroscopic observations will resolve this ambiguity, and can either detect the influence of any luminous progenitor or rule out the same for all resolved SN Ia remnants.

Optical and UV Spectra of the Remnant of SN 1885 (S And) in M31*

Abstract We present multi-slit, 1D and 2D optical and UV spectra of the remnant of supernova 1885 (SN 1885; S And) taken using the Hubble Space Telescope’s Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS). These spectra of this probable subluminous Type Ia remnant, seen in silhouette against the central bulge of the Andromeda galaxy (M31), show strong and broad absorptions from neutral and singly ionized species of calcium, magnesium, and iron but with strikingly different distributions. Calcium H and K absorption indicates spherically distributed Ca-rich ejecta, densest in a lumpy shell expanding at 2000–6000 km s−1. Equally broad but weaker Ca i 4227 Å absorption is seen to extend out to velocities of ∼13,000 km s−1. Magnesium-rich ejecta in the remnant are detected for the first time through Mg i 2852 Å and Mg ii 2796, 2803 Å absorptions concentrated in a shell with expansion velocities from to at least 10,000 km s−1. Fe i 3720 Å absorption is detected as two discrete blueshifted and redshifted absorptions suggestive of an Fe i shell with expansion velocities of ±2000–8000 km s−1. Weak Fe ii resonance absorptions in the wavelength region 2300–2700 Å are consistent with prior HST UV images showing Fe ii–rich ejecta confined to a small number of optically thick plumes. The presence of such iron plumes extending out from the remnant’s core plus layered shells of calcium and magnesium point to a delayed-detonation explosion. The spectra also suggest a roughly spherical explosion, contrary to that expected by a merger or collision of two white dwarfs. We conclude that SN 1885 likely was an off-center, delayed-detonation explosion leading to a subluminous SN Ia similar to SN 1986G.

Statistical Analysis of Supernova Remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Abstract We construct the most complete sample of supernova remnants (SNRs) in any galaxy—the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) SNR sample. We study their various properties such as spectral index (α), size, and surface brightness. We suggest an association between the spatial distribution and environment density of LMC SNRs, and their tendency to be located around supergiant shells. We find evidence that the 16 known type Ia LMC SNRs are expanding in a lower density environment compared to the Core-Collapse (CC) type. The mean diameter of our entire population (74) is 41 pc, which is comparable to nearby galaxies. We did not find any correlation between the type of SN explosion, ovality, or age. The relationship with slope a = 0.96 implies that the randomized diameters are readily mimicking such an exponent. The rate of SNe occurring in the LMC is estimated to be ∼1 per 200 yr. The mean α of the entire LMC SNR population is −0.52, which is typical of most SNRs. However, our estimates show a clear flattening of the synchrotron α as the remnants age. As predicted, the CC SNRs in our sample are significantly brighter radio emitters than type Ia remnants. We also estimate the relation for the LMC to have a slope ∼3.8, which is comparable with other nearby galaxies. We also find the residency time of electrons in the galaxy (4.0–14.3 Myr), implying that SNRs should be the dominant mechanism for the production and acceleration of CRs.

X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY OF POTENTIAL SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA REMNANTS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS

We examine three supernova remnants in the SMC, IKT 5 (supernova remnant (SNR) 0047-73.5), IKT 25 (SNR 0104-72.3), and DEM S 128 (SNR 0103-72.4), which are designated as Type Ia in the literature due to their spectra and morphology. This is troublesome because of their asymmetry, a trait not usually associated with young Type Ia remnants. We present Chandra X-ray Observatory data on these three remnants and perform a maximum likelihood analysis on their spectra. We find that the X-ray emission is dominated by interactions with the interstellar medium. In spite of this, we find a significant Fe overabundance in all three remnants. Through examination of radio, optical, and infrared data, we conclude that these three remnants are likely not Type Ia SNRs. We detect potential point sources that may be members of the progenitor systems of both DEM S 128 and IKT 5, which could suggest these could be Fe-rich core-collapse remnants.

SPITZEROBSERVATIONS OF THE TYPE IA SUPERNOVA REMNANT N103B: KEPLER'S OLDER COUSIN?

We report results from Spitzer observations of SNR 0509-68.7, also known as N103B, a young Type Ia supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud that shows interaction with a dense medium in its western hemisphere. Our images show that N103B has strong IR emission from warm dust in the post-shock environment. The post-shock gas density we derive, 45 cm$^{-3}$, is much higher than in other Type Ia remnants in the LMC, though a lack of spatial resolution may bias measurements towards regions of higher than average density. This density is similar to that in Kepler's SNR, a Type Ia interacting with a circumstellar medium. Optical images show H$\alpha$ emission along the entire periphery of the western portion of the shock, with [O III] and [S II] lines emitted from a few dense clumps of material where the shock has become radiative. The dust is silicate in nature, though standard silicate dust models fail to reproduce the "18 $\mu$m" silicate feature that peaks instead at 17.3 $\mu$m. We propose that the dense material is circumstellar material lost from the progenitor system, as with Kepler. If the CSM interpretation is correct, this remnant would become the second member, along with Kepler, of a class of Type Ia remnants characterized by interaction with a dense CSM hundreds of years post-explosion. A lack of N enhancement eliminates symbiotic AGB progenitors. The white dwarf companion must have been relatively unevolved at the time of the explosion.

DISCRIMINATING THE PROGENITOR TYPE OF SUPERNOVA REMNANTS WITH IRON K-SHELL EMISSION

Supernova remnants (SNRs) retain crucial information about both their parent explosion and circumstellar material left behind by their progenitor. However, the complexity of the interaction between supernova ejecta and ambient medium often blurs this information, and it is not uncommon for the basic progenitor type (Ia or core-collapse) of well-studied remnants to remain uncertain. Here we present a powerful new observational diagnostic to discriminate between progenitor types and constrain the ambient medium density of SNRs solely using Fe K-shell X-ray emission. We analyze all extant Suzaku observations of SNRs and detect Fe K alpha emission from 23 young or middle-aged remnants, including five first detections (IC 443, G292.0+1.8, G337.2-0.7, N49, and N63A). The Fe K alpha centroids clearly separate progenitor types, with the Fe-rich ejecta in Type Ia remnants being significantly less ionized than in core-collapse SNRs. Within each progenitor group, the Fe K alpha luminosity and centroid are well correlated, with more luminous objects having more highly ionized Fe. Our results indicate that there is a strong connection between explosion type and ambient medium density, and suggest that Type Ia supernova progenitors do not substantially modify their surroundings at radii of up to several parsecs. We also detect a K-shell radiative recombination continuum of Fe in W49B and IC 443, implying a strong circumstellar interaction in the early evolutionary phases of these core-collapse remnants.

Modelling the interaction of thermonuclear supernova remnants with circumstellar structures: the case of Tycho's supernova remnant

The well-established Type Ia remnant of Tycho's supernova (SN 1572) reveals discrepant ambient medium density estimates based on either the measured dynamics or on the X-ray emission properties. This discrepancy can potentially be solved by assuming that the supernova remnant (SNR) shock initially moved through a stellar wind bubble, but is currently evolving in the uniform interstellar medium with a relatively low density. We investigate this scenario by combining hydrodynamical simulations of the wind-loss phase and the supernova remnant evolution with a coupled X-ray emission model, which includes non-equilibrium ionization. For the explosion models we use the well-known W7 deflagration model and the delayed detonation model that was previously shown to provide good fits to the X-ray emission of Tycho's SNR. Our simulations confirm that a uniform ambient density cannot simultaneously reproduce the dynamical and X-ray emission properties of Tycho. In contrast, models that considered that the remnant was evolving in a dense, but small, wind bubble reproduce reasonably well both the measured X-ray emission spectrum and the expansion parameter of Tycho's SNR. Finally, we discuss possible mass loss scenarios in the context of single- and double-degenerate models which possible could form such a small dense wind bubble.

HUNTING FOR THE PROGENITOR OF SN 1006: HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPIC SEARCH WITH THE FLAMES INSTRUMENT

Type Ia supernovae play a significant role in the evolution of the Universe and have a wide range of applications. It is widely believed that these events are the thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs close to the Chandrasekhar mass (1.38 M\odot). However, CO white dwarfs are born with masses much below the Chandrasekhar limit and thus require mass accretion to become Type Ia supernovae. There are two main scenarios for accretion. First, the merger of two white dwarfs and, second, a stable mass accretion from a companion star. According to predictions, this companion star (also referred to as donor star) survives the explosion and thus should be visible in the center of Type Ia remnants. In this paper we scrutinize the central stars (79 in total) of the SN 1006 remnant to search for the surviving donor star as predicted by this scenario. We find no star consistent with the traditional accretion scenario in SN1006.

Dust in historical Galactic Type Ia supernova remnants with Herschel★

The origin of interstellar dust in galaxies is poorly understood, particularly the relative contributions from supernovae and the cool stellar winds of low-intermediate mass stars. Here, we present Herschel PACS and SPIRE photometry at 70-500um of the historical young supernova remnants: Kepler and Tycho; both thought to be the remnants of Type Ia explosion events. We detect a warm dust component in Kepler's remnant with T = 82K and mass 0.0031Msun; this is spatially coincident with thermal X-ray emission optical knots and filaments, consistent with the warm dust originating in the circumstellar material swept up by the primary blast wave of the remnant. Similarly for Tycho's remnant, we detect warm dust at 90K with mass 0.0086Msun. Comparing the spatial distribution of the warm dust with X-rays from the ejecta and swept-up medium, and Ha emission arising from the post-shock edge, we show that the warm dust is swept up interstellar material. We find no evidence of a cool (25-50 K) component of dust with mass >0.07Msun as observed in core-collapse remnants of massive stars. Neither the warm or cold dust components detected here are spatially coincident with supernova ejecta material. We compare the lack of observed supernova dust with a theoretical model of dust formation in Type Ia remnants which predicts dust masses of 0.088(0.017)Msun for ejecta expanding into surrounding densities of 1(5)cm-3. The model predicts that silicon- and carbon-rich dust grains will encounter the interior edge of the observed dust emission at 400 years confirming that the majority of the warm dust originates from swept up circumstellar or interstellar grains (for Kepler and Tycho respectively). The lack of cold dust grains in the ejecta suggests that Type Ia remnants do not produce substantial quantities of iron-rich dust grains and has important consequences for the 'missing' iron mass observed in ejecta.

Type Ia Progenitor Hunt in Ancient Remnants

AbstractThere is broad agreement that the stars which explode as Type Ia supernovae are white dwarfs. They have accreted material in a binary system until they are near the Chandrasekhar mass and detonate/deflagrate. The two main scenarios for this accretion process are merging with a companion white dwarf (double degenerate scenario), or accretion from a main-sequence to red giant donor (single degenerate scenario). The donor star survives post-explosion and would provide substantial evidence for the single degenerate scenario, if found. Our team is analyzing stars in close proximity to Galactic Type Ia remnants to find surviving donor stars. In my talk I will introduce the different progenitor systems and the expected state for a donor star today. I will outline our search using high resolution spectroscopy and will present updated results.

STEADY X-RAY SYNCHROTRON EMISSION IN THE NORTHEASTERN LIMB OF SN 1006

We investigate time variations and detailed spatial structures of X-ray synchrotron emission in the northeastern limb of SN 1006, using two Chandra observations taken in 2000 and 2008. We extract spectra from a number of small (about 10") regions. After taking account of proper motion and isolating the synchrotron from the thermal emission, we study time variations in the synchrotron emission in the small regions. We find that there are no regions showing strong flux variations. Our analysis shows an apparent flux decline in the overall synchrotron flux of about 4% at high energies, but we suspect that this is mostly a calibration effect, and that flux is actually constant to about 1%. This is much less than the variation found in other remnants where it was used to infer magnetic-field strengths up to 1 mG. We attribute the lack of variability to the smoothness of the synchrotron morphology, in contrast to the small-scale knots found to be variable in other remnants. The smoothness is to be expected for a Type Ia remnant encountering uniform material. Finally we find a spatial correlation between the flux and the cut-off frequency in synchrotron emission. The simplest interpretation is that the cut-off frequency depends on the magnetic-field strength. This would require that the maximum energy of accelerated electrons is not limited by synchrotron losses, but by some other effect. Alternatively, the rate of particle injection and acceleration may vary due to some effect not yet accounted for, such as a dependence on shock obliquity.

THE STELLAR ANCESTRY OF SUPERNOVAE IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS. I. THE MOST RECENT SUPERNOVAE IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD

We use the star formation history map of the Large Magellanic Cloud recently published by Harris & Zaritsky to study the sites of the eight smallest (and presumably youngest) supernova remnants in the Cloud: SN 1987A, N158A, N49, and N63A (core collapse remnants), 0509 67.5, 0519 69.0, N103B, and DEM L71 (Type Ia remnants). The local star formation histories provide unique insights into the nature of the supernova progenitors, which we compare with the properties of the supernova explosions derived from the remnants themselves and from supernova light echoes. We find that all the core collapse supernovae that we have studied are associated with vigorous star formation in the recent past. In the case of SN 1987A, the time of the last peak of star formation (12 Myr) matches the lifetime of a star with the known mass of its blue supergiant progenitor (� 20M⊙). More recent peaks of star formation can lead to supernovae with more massive progenitors, which opens the possibility of a Type Ib/c origin for SNRs N158A and N63A. Stars more massive than 21.5M⊙ are very scarce around SNR N49, implying that the magnetar SGR 0526 66 in this SNR was either formed elsewhere or came from a progenitor with a mass well below the 30M⊙ threshold suggested in the literature. Three of our four Ia SNRs are associated with old, metal poor stellar populations. This includes SNR 0509 67.5, which is known to have been originated by an extremely bright Type Ia event, and yet is located very far away from any sites of recent star formation, in a population with a mean age of 7.9 Gyr. The Type Ia SNR N103B, on the other hand, is associated with recent star formation, and might have had a relatively younger and more massive progenitor with substantial mass loss before the explosion. We discuss these results in the context of our present understanding of core collapse and Type Ia supernova progenitors.

Are the Models for Type Ia Supernova Progenitors Consistent with the Properties of Supernova Remnants?

We explore the relationship between the models for progenitor systems of Type Ia supernovae and the properties of the supernova remnants that evolve after the explosion. Most models for Type Ia progenitors in the single degenerate scenario predict substantial outflows during the presupernova evolution. Expanding on previous work, we estimate the imprint of these outflows on the structure of the circumstellar medium at the time of the supernova explosion, and the effect that this modified circumstellar medium has on the evolution of the ensuing supernova remnant. We compare our simulations with the observational properties of known Type Ia supernova remnants in the Galaxy (Kepler, Tycho, SN 1006), the Large Magellanic Cloud (0509-67.5, 0519-69.0, N103B), and M31 (SN 1885). We find that optically thick outflows from the white dwarf surface (sometimes known as accretion winds) with velocities above 200 km/s excavate large low-density cavities around the progenitors. Such large cavities are incompatible with the dynamics of the forward shock and the X-ray emission from the shocked ejecta in all the Type Ia remnants that we have examined.

The X‐Ray Iron Emission from Tycho's Supernova Remnant

We present the results of broadband spectral model fits to the X-ray spectrum of Tycho's supernova remnant obtained by the Solid-State Imaging Spectrometers on the ASCA Observatory. We use single temperature, single ionization age, nonequilibrium ionization models to characterize the ejecta and the blast-shocked interstellar medium. Previous spectral studies have suggested that the Fe ejecta in this Type Ia remnant are stratified interior to the other ejecta. These studies, however, have generally restricted their attention to the Fe K blend at 6.5 keV. ASCA provides data over a broad energy range that allow the placement of important constraints simultaneously from the Fe L emission near 1 keV, as well as the Fe K emission. We find that the simplest models, with emission from the ejecta and blast wave each at a single temperature and ionization age, severely underestimate the flux in the Fe K blend. These models also show that there is little Fe emission associated with the Si and S ejecta shell, which has an average temperature kT ~ 0.86 keV and ionization age net ~ 1011 cm-3 s. The blast-shocked interstellar medium has abundances roughly 0.3 times the solar value, while the ejecta—with the exception of Fe—have relative abundances that are typical of Type Ia supernovae. The addition of another component of Fe emission—which we associate with ejecta—at a temperature at least 2 times higher and an ionization age ~100 times lower than the Si ejecta does provide a good fit to the spectrum. This model is consistent with imaging results. Although fluorescent emission from dust in the remnant may contribute to the Fe K flux, we conclude that it is unlikely to be the dominant component.