Chandra observations of SNR RCW 103

Journal Article · Thu Sep 10 04:00:00 EDT 2015 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/810/2/113· OSTI ID:22882689

Frank, Kari A.; Burrows, David N. ^[1]; Park, Sangwook ^[2]

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1. Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)
2. Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019 (United States)

We analyze three Chandra observations, with a combined exposure time of 99 ks, of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) RCW 103, a young SNR, with no previous clear detections of metal-rich ejecta. Based on our imaging and spectral analyses of these deep Chandra data, we find evidence for metal-rich ejecta emission scattered throughout the remnant. X-ray emission from the shocked ejecta is generally weak, and the shocked circumstellar medium (CSM) is a largely dominant component across the entire remnant. The CSM component shows abundances of ∼0.5 solar, while Ne, Mg, Si, S, and Fe abundances of the ejecta are up to a few times solar. Comparison of these ejecta abundances with yields from supernova nucleosynthesis models suggests, together with the existence of a central neutron star, a progenitor mass of ∼18–20 M{sub ⊙}, though the Fe/Si ratios are larger than predicted. The shocked CSM emission suggests a progenitor with high mass-loss rate and subsolar metallicity.

• OSTI ID: 22882689
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 810; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United Kingdom
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DETECTION
ELEMENT ABUNDANCE
EMISSION
MASS TRANSFER
METALLICITY
NEUTRON STARS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
STELLAR WINDS
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS