Supernova Remnants in High Definition
Abstract
Supernova remnants (SNRs) offer the means to study SN explosions, dynamics, and shocks at sub-parsec scales. X-ray observations probe the hot metals synthesized in the explosion and the TeV electrons accelerated by the shocks, and thus they are key to test recent, high-fidelity three-dimensional SN simulations. In this white paper, we discuss the major advances possible with X-ray spectro-imaging at arcsecond scales, with a few eV spectral resolution and a large effective area. These capabilities would revolutionize SN science, offering a three-dimensional view of metals synthesized in explosions and enabling population studies of SNRs in Local Group galaxies. Moreover, this future X-ray mission could detect faint, narrow synchrotron filaments and shock precursors that will constrain the diffusive shock acceleration process.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1903.09677,
title = {Supernova Remnants in High Definition},
author = {Laura A. Lopez and Brian J. Williams and Samar Safi-Harb and Sangwook Park and Paul P. Plucinsky and David Pooley and Tea Temim and Katie Auchettl and Aya Bamba and Carles Badenes and Daniel Castro and Kristen Garofali and Denis Leahy and Patrick Slane and Jacco Vink and Benjamin F. Williams and J. Craig Wheeler},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1903.09677},
year = {2019}
}
Comments
7 pages, 5 figures, Astro2020 Science White Paper