A study of the infrared emission of galactic supernova remnants

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6515515

Arendt, R G

This work aims to investigate the nature of the infrared (IR) emission of supernova remnants (SNRs), and to use this radiation to reveal the physical properties of SNRs and the gas and dust they contain. This project has been made possible only recently, following the success of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) in 1983. The first part of this thesis attempts to find the general characteristics of the IR emission of SNRs. A survey of the known galactic SNRs in the IRAS database has been completed. It is found that only one third of the galactic SNRs show detectable IR emission. Many remnants are confused with other galactic IR sources. The youngest SNRs exhibit spectra of relatively warm dust at {approximately}90 K. Older SNRs, exhibit spectra that indicate dust grains within the SNRs have temperatures spanning a range from {approximately}150 K to {approximately}30 K. Supernova remnants can not be distinguished from other galactic IR sources on the basis of their IR colors alone. The second part of this work is a detailed study of the dust within and the IR emission of a single SRN, Puppis A. The IR morphology of Puppis A and its environment reveals that the appearance of the SNR is strongly influenced by its interaction with a nearby molecular cloud. Detailed analysis of the IR emission shows that small grains ({approximately}10 {angstrom}) must be present in the SNR to account for this emission observed at 12 {mu}m and 25 {mu}m. There is some evidence of destruction of grains within the SNR. The temperature and density of the gas in which the dust is embedded, and the geometry of the emitting regions are inferred from the IR emission at specific locations across the SNR.

• Research Organization: Illinois Univ., Urbana, IL (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6515515
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC GASES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DENSITY
DETECTION
DUSTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENVIRONMENT
FLUIDS
GALAXIES
GASES
INFRARED RADIATION
INTERACTIONS
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
MILKY WAY
MORPHOLOGY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
SATELLITES
SPACE
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS