Chandra Observations of SNR RCW 103
Abstract
We analyze three Chandra observations, with a combined exposure time of 99 ks, of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) RCW 103, a young SNR, with no previous clear detections of metal-rich ejecta. Based on our imaging and spectral analyses of these deep Chandra data, we find evidence for metal-rich ejecta emission scattered throughout the remnant. X-ray emission from the shocked ejecta is generally weak, and the shocked circumstellar medium (CSM) is a largely dominant component across the entire remnant. The CSM component shows abundances of ∼0.5 solar, while Ne, Mg, Si, S, and Fe abundances of the ejecta are up to a few times solar. Comparison of these ejecta abundances with yields from supernova nucleosynthesis models suggests, together with the existence of a central neutron star, a progenitor mass of ∼18-20 {M}⊙ , though the Fe/Si ratios are larger than predicted. The shocked CSM emission suggests a progenitor with high mass-loss rate and subsolar metallicity.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- September 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-637X/810/2/113
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1508.01513
- Bibcode:
- 2015ApJ...810..113F
- Keywords:
-
- ISM: supernova remnants;
- X-rays: individual: RCW 103;
- X-rays: ISM;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 14 pages, 10 figures, Accepted to ApJ