1,721,132 research outputs found
Shock-cloud interactions in the Vela SNR: preliminary results of an XMM-Newton observation
No full textXMM-Newton Observations of the Supernova Remnant IC 443. I. Soft X-Ray Emission from Shocked Interstellar Medium
No full textThe shocked interstellar medium around IC 443 produces strong X-ray emission in the soft energy band (E<~1.5 keV). We present an analysis of such emission as observed with the EPIC MOS cameras on board the XMM-Newton observatory, with the purpose to find clear signatures of the interactions with the interstellar medium (ISM) in the X-ray band, which may complement results obtained in other wavelengths. We found that the giant molecular cloud mapped in CO emission is located in the foreground and gives an evident signature in the absorption of X-rays. This cloud may have a torus shape, and the part of torus interacting with the IC 443 shock gives rise to 2MASS Ks emission in the southeast. The measured density of emitting X-ray-shocked plasma increases toward the northeastern limb, where the remnant is interacting with an atomic cloud. We found an excellent correlation between emission in the 0.3-0.5 keV band and bright optical/radio filament on large spatial scales. The partial shell structure seen in this band therefore traces the encounter with the atomic cloud
Effects of non-uniform interstellar magnetic field on synchrotron and inverse compton emission of SNRs
No full textModeling SNR shock waves expanding through the magnetized inhomogeneous interstellar medium
Full text linkWe review our recent results on the MHD modeling of supernova shock waves propagating through the magnetized and inhomogeneous ISM. We explore the role of different physical processes simultaneously at work, namely magnetic-field-oriented thermal conduction, radiative cooling and MHD effects, in determining: 1) the mass and energy exchanges between different phases of the ISM and 2) the morphology of supernova remnants as observed in different bands. Our projects required an advanced 3D MHD code for parallel computers, FLASH, and high-performance computing. We discuss the results derived from the analysis of the local interaction of strong shocks with inhomogeneities of the ISM, and those derived from the analysis of the overall expansion of supernova blast waves through inhomogeneous and magnetized IS
The Importance of Magnetic-Field-Oriented Thermal Conduction in the Interaction of SNR Shocks with Interstellar Clouds
No full textWe explore the importance of magnetic-field-oriented thermal conduction in the interaction of supernova remnant (SNR) shocks with radiative gas clouds and in determining the mass and energy exchange between the clouds and the hot surrounding medium. We perform 2.5-dimensional MHD simulations of a shock impacting on an isolated gas cloud, including anisotropic thermal conduction and radiative cooling; we consider the representative case of a Mach 50 shock impacting on a cloud 10 times denser than the ambient medium. We consider different configurations of the ambient magnetic field and compare MHD models with or without thermal conduction. The efficiency of thermal conduction in the presence of a magnetic field is, in general, reduced with respect to the unmagnetized case. The reduction factor strongly depends on the initial magnetic field orientation, and it is at a minimum when the magnetic field is initially aligned with the direction of the shock propagation. Thermal conduction contributes to the suppression of hydrodynamic instabilities, reducing the mass mixing of the cloud and preserving the cloud from complete fragmentation. Depending on the magnetic field orientation, the heat conduction may determine a significant energy exchange between the cloud and the hot surrounding medium which, while remaining always at levels less than those in the unmagnetized case, leads to a progressive heating and evaporation of the cloud. This additional heating may offset the radiative cooling of some parts of the cloud, preventing the onset of thermal instabilities
Hydrodynamic modelling of ejecta shrapnel in the Vela supernova remnant
Full text linkMany supernova remnants (SNRs) are characterized by a knotty ejecta structure. The Vela SNR is an excellent example of remnant in which detached clumps of ejecta are visible as X-ray emitting bullets that have been observed and studied in great detail. We aim at modelling the evolution of ejecta shrapnel in the Vela SNR, investigating the role of their initial parameters (position and density) and addressing the effects of thermal conduction and radiative losses. We performed a set of 2D hydrodynamic simulations describing the evolution of a density inhomogeneity in the ejecta profile. We explored different initial setups. We found that the final position of the shrapnel is very sensitive to its initial position within the ejecta, while the dependence on the initial density contrast is weaker. Our model also shows that moderately overdense knots can reproduce the detached features observed in the Vela SNR. Efficient thermal conduction produces detectable effects by determining an efficient mixing of the ejecta knot with the surrounding medium and shaping a characteristic elongated morphology in the clump
Role of Ejecta Clumping and Back-reaction of Accelerated Cosmic Rays in the Evolution of Type Ia Supernova Remnants
No full textWe investigate the role played by initial clumping of ejecta and by efficient acceleration of cosmic rays (CRs) in determining the density structure of the post-shock region of a Type Ia supernova remnant (SNR) through detailed three-dimensional MHD modeling. Our model describes the expansion of an SNR through a magnetized interstellar medium, including the initial clumping of ejecta and the effects on shock dynamics due to back-reaction of accelerated CRs. The model predictions are compared to the observations of SN 1006. We found that the back-reaction of accelerated CRs alone cannot reproduce the observed separation between the forward shock and the contact discontinuity unless the energy losses through CR acceleration and escape are very large and independent of the obliquity angle. On the contrary, the clumping of ejecta can naturally reproduce the observed small separation and the occurrence of protrusions observed in SN 1006, even without the need of accelerated CRs. We conclude that forward shock-contact discontinuity separation is a probe of the ejecta structure at the time of explosion rather than a probe of the efficiency of CR acceleration in young SNRs
The origin of the X-ray-emitting plasma in the eastern edge of the Cygnus Loop
No full textThe Cygnus Loop is interacting with a protrusion of the cavity wall in its eastern edge (the XA region), where the X-ray emission is very bright. The complexity of the environment and the non-linear physical processes of the shock–cloud interaction make the origin of the X-ray emission still not well understood. Our purpose is to understand the physical origin of the X-ray emission in the XA region, addressing, in particular, the role of thermal conduction in the interaction process. We analysed two XMM–Newton data sets, performing image analysis and spatially resolved spectral analysis on a set of homogeneous regions. We applied a recently developed diagnostic tool to compare spectral analysis results with predictions of theoretical models, and to estimate the efficiency of thermal conduction on the X-ray-emitting shocked plasma. We found that the inhomogeneous cavity wall contains both large clumps (the protrusion) and small isolated clumps with different densities. A large indentation bent over to the south is detected. The abundance of the surrounding interstellar medium is ∼0.2 times solar value. We confirmed the important role of thermal conduction in the evolution of X-ray-emitting plasma during shock–cloud interaction
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