Identification of a jet-driven supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud: Possible evidence for the enhancement of bipolar explosions at low metallicity
- MIT-Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 37-664H, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)
- Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (United States)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and Pittsburgh Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology Center (PITT PACC), University of Pittsburgh, 3941 O'Hara St, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (United States)
Recent evidence has suggested that the supernova remnant (SNR) 0104–72.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) may be the result of a 'prompt' Type Ia SN on the basis of enhanced iron abundances and its association with a star-forming region. In this paper, we present evidence that SNR 0104–72.3 arose from a jet-driven bipolar core-collapse (CC) SN. Specifically, we use serendipitous Chandra data of SNR 0104–72.3 taken because of its proximity to the calibration source SNR E0102–72.3. We analyze 56 Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) observations of SNR 0104–72.3 to produce imaging and spectra with an effective exposure of 528.6 ks. We demonstrate that SNR 0104–72.3 is highly elliptical relative to other nearby young SNRs, suggesting a CC SN origin. Furthermore, we compare ejecta abundances derived from spectral fits to nucleosynthetic yields of Type Ia and CC SNe, and we find that the iron, neon, and silicon abundances are consistent with either a spherical CC SN of a 18-20 M {sub ☉} progenitor or an aspherical CC SN of a 25 M {sub ☉} progenitor. We show that the star formation history at the site of SNR 0104–72.3 is also consistent with a CC origin. Given the bipolar morphology of the SNR, we favor the aspherical CC SN scenario. This result may suggest jet-driven SNe occur frequently in the low-metallicity environment of the SMC, consistent with the observational and theoretical work on broad-line Type Ic SNe and long-duration gamma-ray bursts.
- OSTI ID:
- 22356721
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 788, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY OF POTENTIAL SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA REMNANTS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS
Constraining the Single-degenerate Channel of Type Ia Supernovae with Stable Iron-group Elements in SNR 3C 397