Studies of the X-Ray Emission from Supernova Remnants

Supernova remnants are now recognized as a class of soft X-ray emitting-objects. The evolution of a remnant's X-ray emission is discussed and a number of possible X-ray emission mechanisms are described. The spectrum of the Crab Nebula has been studied with Copernicus. The data have been used to derive a value of the gas column density of the interstellar medium. The X-ray structure and spectrum of the remnant Cassiopeia A have been investigated and the results are presented. A high resolution X-ray map of the Puppis A supernova remnant has been obtained and the interpretation of the X-ray structure is discussed. X-ray emission has been detected from the pulsar PSR 08 33-45. This observation is compared with data obtained from the Uhuru satellite in order to derive the gas column density to the source. Weak soft X-ray emission has been detected from the Cygnus Loop in the regions expected but at a lower intensity - a search for regions of higher intensity is continuing. A programme to identify known radio remnants as X-ray emitters is in progress and the results obtained so far are reported.