Spatially Resolved X-ray Spectroscopy of the Large Magellanic Cloud Supernova Remnant N132D
Abstract
We perform detailed X-ray spectroscopy of the brightest Supernova Remnant (SNR), N132D, in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using observations taken by the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) on the Chandra X-ray Observatory (Chandra). By studying the spectra of regions on the well-defined rim running from NW to NE, we determine an average abundance set for O, Ne, Mg, Si, S and Fe for the local LMC environment. We note that the elements other than Fe and Ne show significant trends across this region, implying they cannot be approximated by a single, constant value. We characterize the blast wave properties and find a simple plane parallel shock model is sufficient to explain the X-ray spectrum of the forward shock moving into ambient LMC material, with a shock velocity near 800 km/s and a shock age of 800-1200 years. We find evidence of enhanced O and Si near the western blast wave and enhanced S near the western as well as the north-eastern rims, both of which imply an asymmetric explosion. We fit a region near the central, optical O-rich knots which exhibits enhanced abundances of O, Ne, Mg, Si, and Fe. Comparison to nucleosynthesis models of the ratios of these elements indicates a progenitor mass of 18-20 solar masses, consistent with most previous estimates. Lastly, we find an intriguing presence of a very hot plasma with a temperature of >3.0 keV (assuming a non-equilibrium ionization model) to explain the Fe-K emission which is centrally concentrated in the lower half of the remnant.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #233
- Pub Date:
- January 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AAS...23316601P