THE OUTER SHOCK OF THE OXYGEN-RICH SUPERNOVA REMNANT G292.0+1.8: EVIDENCE FOR THE INTERACTION WITH THE STELLAR WINDS FROM ITS MASSIVE PROGENITOR

Journal Article · Wed Mar 10 04:00:00 EST 2010 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/711/2/861· OSTI ID:21394341

Lee, Jae-Joon; Park, Sangwook; Burrows, David N ^[1]; Hughes, John P ^[2]; Slane, Patrick O ^[3]; Gaensler, B M ^[4]; Ghavamian, Parviz ^[5]

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1. Astronomy and Astrophysics Department, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)
2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019 (United States)
3. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
4. Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia)
5. Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

We study the outer-shock structure of the oxygen-rich supernova remnant G292.0+1.8 using a deep observation with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. We measure radial variations of the electron temperature and emission measure that we identify as the outer shock propagating into a medium with a radially decreasing density profile. The inferred ambient density structure is consistent with models for the circumstellar wind of a massive progenitor star rather than for a uniform interstellar medium. The estimated wind density (n{sub H} = 0.1-0.3 cm{sup -3}) at the current outer radius ({approx} 7.7 pc) of the remnant is consistent with a slow wind from a red supergiant (RSG) star. The total mass of the wind is estimated to be {approx}15-40 M{sub sun} (depending on the estimated density range), assuming that the wind extended down to near the surface of the progenitor. The overall kinematics of G292.0+1.8 are consistent with the remnant expanding through the RSG wind.

• OSTI ID: 21394341
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 711; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELEMENTS
MASS
NONMETALS
OXYGEN
SHOCK WAVES
STARS
STELLAR ACTIVITY
STELLAR WINDS
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS