Direct Measurement of Neutron Star Recoil in the Oxygen-rich Supernova Remnant Puppis A
Abstract
A sequence of three Chandra X-Ray Observatory High Resolution Camera images taken over a span of five years reveals arcsecond-scale displacement of RX J0822-4300, the stellar remnant (presumably a neutron star) near the center of the Puppis A supernova remnant. We measure its proper motion to be 0.165''+/-0.025'' yr-1 toward the west-southwest. At a distance of 2 kpc, this corresponds to a transverse space velocity of ~1600 km s-1. The space velocity is consistent with the explosion center inferred from proper motions of the oxygen-rich optical filaments and confirms the idea that Puppis A resulted from an asymmetric explosion accompanied by a kick that imparted roughly 3×1049 ergs of kinetic energy (some 3% of the kinetic energy for a typical supernova) to the stellar remnant. We discuss constraints on core-collapse supernova models that have been proposed to explain neutron star kick velocities.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- November 2007
- DOI:
- 10.1086/522101
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0608205
- Bibcode:
- 2007ApJ...670..635W
- Keywords:
-
- Astrometry;
- ISM: Individual: Name: Puppis A;
- Stars: Neutron;
- ISM: Supernova Remnants;
- Stars: Supernovae: General;
- X-rays: individual (RX J0822-4300);
- Astrophysics