Faculty Research at Morehead State University
 

Title

XMM-NEWTON AND CHANDRA OBSERVATIONS OF THE EJECTA-DOMINATED MIXED-MORPHOLOGY GALACTIC SUPERNOVA REMNANT G352.7−0.1

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-20-2014

Abstract

We present a spatial and spectral X-ray analysis of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G352.7−0.1 using archival data from observations made with the XMM-Newton X-ray Observatory and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Prior X-ray observations of this SNR had revealed a thermal center-filled morphology that contrasts with a shell-like radio morphology, thus establishing G352.7−0.1 as a member of the class of Galactic SNRs known as mixedmorphology SNRs (MMSNRs). Our study confirms that the X-ray emission comes from the SNR interior and must be ejecta dominated. Spectra obtained with XMM-Newton may be fit satisfactorily with a single thermal component (namely a non-equilibrium ionization component with enhanced abundances of silicon and sulfur). In contrast, spectra extracted by Chandra from certain regions of the SNR cannot always be fit by a single thermal component. For those regions, a second thermal component with solar abundances or two thermal components with different temperatures and thawed silicon and sulfur abundances (respectively) can generate a statistically acceptable fit. We argue that the former scenario is more physically plausible: on the basis of parameters of our spectral fits, we calculate physical parameters including X-ray emitting mass (∼45 M for solar abundances). We find no evidence for over ionization in the X-ray emitting plasma associated with the SNR: this phenomenon has been seen in other MMSNRs. We have conducted a search for a neutron star within the SNR by using a hard (2–10 keV) Chandra image but could not identify a firm candidate. We also present (for the first time) the detection of infrared emission from this SNR as detected at 24 μm by the MIPS on board Spitzer. Finally, we discuss the properties of G352.7−0.1 in the context of other ejecta-dominated MMSNRs.

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