CARBON MONOXIDE IN THE COLD DEBRIS OF SUPERNOVA 1987A
Journal article, 2013
We report spectroscopic and imaging observations of rotational transitions of cold CO and SiO in the ejecta of SN1987A, the first such emission detected in a supernova remnant. In addition to line luminosities for the CO J = 1-0, 2-1, 6-5, and 7-6 transitions, we present upper limits for all other transitions up to J = 13-12, collectively measured from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment, and the Herschel Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver. Simple models show the lines are emitted from at least 0.01 M-circle dot of CO at a temperature >14 K, confined within at most 35% of a spherical volume expanding at similar to 2000 km s(-1). Moreover, we locate the emission within 1 '' of the central debris. These observations, along with a partial observation of SiO, confirm the presence of cold molecular gas within supernova remnants and provide insight into the physical conditions and chemical processes in the ejecta. Furthermore, we demonstrate the powerful new window into supernova ejecta offered by submillimeter observations.
instrument
sn 1987a
cassiopeia
ISM: supernova remnants
supernovae: individual (SN1987A)
sn-1987a
ejecta
remnant
3-dimensional structure
wavelength
facility
Author
J. Kamenetzky
University of Colorado at Boulder
R. McCray
University of Colorado at Boulder
R. Indebetouw
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
University of Virginia
M. J. Barlow
University College London (UCL)
M. Matsuura
University College London (UCL)
Maarten Baes
Ghent university
Jadl Blommaert
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
KU Leuven
A. Bolatto
University of Maryland
L. Decin
KU Leuven
L. Dunne
University of Canterbury
C. Fransson
Stockholm University
J. Glenn
University of Colorado at Boulder
H. L. Gomez
Cardiff University
M. A. T. Groenewegen
Royal Observatory of Belgium
R. Hopwood
Imperial College London
R. Kirshner
The Harvard College Observatory
M. Lakicevic
Keele University
J. M. Marcaide
Universitat de Valencia
Ivan Marti-Vidal
Chalmers, Earth and Space Sciences, Onsala Space Observatory
M. Meixner
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
P. Royer
KU Leuven
A. Soderberg
The Harvard College Observatory
G. Sonneborn
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
L. Staveley-Smith
University of Western Australia
B. M. Swinyard
University College London (UCL)
G. Van de Steene
Royal Observatory of Belgium
P. A. M. van Hoof
Royal Observatory of Belgium
J. T. van Loon
Keele University
J. A. Yates
University College London (UCL)
G. Zanardo
University of Western Australia
Astrophysical Journal Letters
2041-8205 (ISSN) 2041-8213 (eISSN)
Vol. 773 2 L34Subject Categories
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.1088/2041-8205/773/2/l34