Jonathan Wilmore Keohane

A Comparison of X-ray and Radio Emission from the Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A

We compare the radio and soft X-ray brightness as a function of position within the young supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. A moderately strong correlation (r = 0.7) was found between the X-ray emission (corrected for interstellar absorption) and radio emission, showing that the thermal and relativistic plasmas occupy the same volumes and are regulated by common underlying parameters. The logarithmic slope of the relationship, ln(SX−ray) = 1.2 ×ln(Sradio)+ln(k) implies that the variations in brightness are primarily due to path length differences. The X-ray and radio emissivities are both high in the same general locations, but their more detailed relationship is poorly constrained and probably shows significant scatter. The strongest radio and X-ray absorption is found at the western boundary of Cas A. Based on the properties of Cas A and the absorbing molecular cloud, we argue that they are physically interacting. We also compare ASCA derived column densities with �21 cm H i and �18 cm OH optical depths in the direction of Cas A, in order to provide an independent estimate of ISM properties. We derive an average value for the H i spin temperature of ≈ 40 ◦ K and measure the ratio OH/H2 , which is nominally larger than previous estimates.

A Broadband X-Ray Study of Supernova Remnant 3C 397

We present a broadband imaging and spectral study of the radio-bright supernova remnant (SNR) 3C 397 with ROSAT, ASCA, and RXTE. A bright X-ray spot seen in the HRI image hints at the presence of a pulsar-powered component and gives this SNR a composite X-ray morphology. Combined ROSAT and ASCA imaging shows that the remnant is highly asymmetric, with its X-ray emission peaking at the western lobe. The hard-band images obtained with the ASCA Gas Imaging Spectrometer show that much of the hard X-ray emission arises from the western lobe, associated with the SNR shell, with little hard X-ray emission associated with the central hot spot. The spectrum from 3C 397 is heavily absorbed and dominated by thermal emission with emission lines evident from Mg, Si, S, Ar and Fe. Single-component models fail to describe the X-ray spectrum, and at least two components are required: a soft component characterized by a low temperature and a large ionization timescale, and a hard component required to account for the Fe-K emission line and characterized by a much lower ionization timescale. We use a set of nonequilibrium ionization (NEI) models (Borkowski et al., in preparation), and find that the fitted parameters are robust. The temperatures from the soft and hard components are ~0.2 keV and ~1.6 keV respectively. The corresponding ionization timescales n0t (n0 being the preshock hydrogen density) are ~6 × 1012 cm-3 s and ~6 × 1010 cm-3 s, respectively. The large n0t of the soft component suggests it is approaching ionization equilibrium; thus it can be fit equally well with a collisional equilibrium ionization model. The spectrum obtained with the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) of RXTE is contaminated by emission from the Galactic ridge, with only ~15% of the count rate originating from 3C 397 in the 5-15 keV range. The PCA spectrum allowed us to confirm the thermal nature of the hard X-ray emission. A third component originating from a pulsar-driven component is possible, but the contamination of the source signal by the Galactic ridge did not allow us to determine its parameters or find pulsations from any hidden pulsar. We discuss the X-ray spectrum in the light of two scenarios: a young ejecta-dominated remnant of a core-collapse SN, and a middle-aged SNR expanding in a dense ISM. In the first scenario, the hot component arises from the SNR shell, and the soft component from an ejecta-dominated component. 3C 397 would be a young SNR (a few thousand years old), but intermediate in dynamical age between the young historical shells (like Tycho or Kepler), and those that are well into the Sedov phase of evolution (like Vela). In the second scenario, the soft component represents the blast wave propagating in a dense medium, and the hard component is associated with hot gas encountering a fast shock, or arising from thermal conduction. In this latter scenario, the SNR would be ~twice as old, and transitioning into the radiative phase. The current picture we present in this paper is marginally consistent with this scenario, but it cannot be excluded. A spatially resolved spectroscopic study is needed to resolve the soft and hard components and differentiate between the two scenarios. Future Chandra and XMM data will also address the nature of the mysterious central (radio-quiet) X-ray spot.

CTIO,ROSATHRI, andChandraACIS Observations of the Archetypical Mixed-morphology Supernova Remnant W28 (G6.4–0.1)

We present a joint analysis of optical emission-line and X-ray observations of the archetypical Galactic mixed-morphology supernova remnant (MMSNR) W28 (G6.4-0.1). MMSNRs comprise a class of sources whose shell-like radio morphology contrasts with a filled center in X-rays; the origin of these contrasting morphologies remains uncertain. Our CTIO images reveal enhanced [S II] emission relative to H-alpha along the northern and eastern rims of W28. Hydroxyl (OH) masers are detected along these same rims, supporting prior studies suggesting that W28 is interacting with molecular clouds at these locations, as observed for several other MMSNRs. Our ROSAT HRI mosaic of W28 provides almost complete coverage of the SNR. The X-ray and radio emission is generally anti-correlated, except for the luminous northeastern rim, which is prominent in both bands. Our Chandra observation sampled the X-ray-luminous central diffuse emission. Spectra extracted from the bright central peak and from nearby annular regions are best fit with two over-ionized recombining plasma models. We also find that while the X-ray emission from the central peak is dominated by swept-up material, that from the surrounding regions shows evidence for oxygen-rich ejecta, suggesting that W28 was produced by a massive progenitor. We also analyze the X-ray properties of two X-ray sources (CXOU J175857.55-233400.3 and 3XMM J180058.5-232735) projected into the interior of W28 and conclude that neither is a neutron star associated with the SNR. The former is likely to be a foreground cataclysmic variable or a quiescent low-mass X-ray-binary while the latter is likely to be a coronally-active main sequence star.

Search for Nonthermal X-Rays from Supernova Remnant Shells

The suggestion that the shocks of supernova remnants (SNR’s) are cosmic ray acceleration sites dates back more than 40 years. While observations of nonthermal radio emission from SNR shells indicate the ubiquity of GeV cosmic ray production, there is still theoretical debate about whether SNR shocks accelerate particles up to the well-known “knee” in the primary cosmic ray spectrum at ∼3,000 TeV. Recent X-ray observations of SN1006 and other SNR’s may have provided the missing observational link between SNR shocks and high energy cosmic ray acceleration. We discuss these observations and their interpretation, and summarize our ongoing efforts to find evidence from X-ray observations of cosmic ray acceleration in the shells of other SNR’s.