Near-infrared [Fe ii] and H{sub 2} Emission-line Study of Galactic Supernova Remnants in the First Quadrant
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)
- Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of)
- School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia)
- Australian Astronomical Observatory, P.O. Box 915, North Ryde, NSW 1670 (Australia)
We report the detection of near-infrared (NIR) [Fe ii] (1.644 μm) and H{sub 2} 1–0 S(1) (2.122 μm) line features associated with Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs) in the first quadrant using two narrowband imaging surveys, UWIFE and UWISH2. Among the total of 79 SNRs fully covered by both surveys, we found 19 [Fe ii]-emitting and 19 H{sub 2}-emitting SNRs, giving a detection rate of 24% for each. Eleven SNRs show both emission features. The detection rate of [Fe ii] and H{sub 2} peaks at the Galactic longitude (l) of 40°–50° and 30°–40°, respectively, and gradually decreases toward smaller/larger l. Five out of the eleven SNRs emitting both emission lines clearly show an “[Fe ii]–H{sub 2} reversal,” where H{sub 2} emission features are found outside the SNR boundary in [Fe ii] emission. Our NIR spectroscopy shows that the H{sub 2} emission originates from collisionally excited H{sub 2} gas. The brightest SNR in both [Fe ii] and H{sub 2} emissions is W49B, contributing more than 70% and 50% of the total [Fe ii] 1.644 μm (2.0 × 10{sup 4} L{sub ⊙}) and H{sub 2} 2.122 μm (1.2 × 10{sup 3} L{sub ⊙}) luminosities of the detected SNRs. The total [Fe ii] 1.644 μm luminosity of our Galaxy is a few times smaller than that expected from the SN rate using the correlation found in nearby starburst galaxies. We discuss possible explanations for this.
- OSTI ID:
- 22897312
- Journal Information:
- Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online), Vol. 157, Issue 3; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1538-3881
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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