The X-ray spectrum of the supernova remnant 1E 0102.2-7219

In this letter we present the soft X-ray (5-35 Å) spectrum of the supernova remnant (SNR) 1E 0102.2-7219 in the Small Magellanic Cloud, acquired by the reflection grating spectrometers (RGS) aboard ESA's XMM-Newton Observatory. Because the RGS features a large dispersion angle, spatial-spectral confusion is suppressed even for moderately extended (Delta theta ~ 2arcmin ) sources. Consequently, these data, along with the spectrum of N132d (Behar et al. \cite{Behar00}), provide what are probably the most detailed soft X-ray spectrum of entire SNRs. The diagnostic power of performing spectroscopy using groups of emission lines from single ions is demonstrated. In particular, the bright Lyman and helium series lines for light elements (C Vi, O Vii, O Viii, Ne Ix & Ne X) show peculiar ratios, where the values [1s-np]/[1s-(n+1)p] are systematically weaker than expected for electron impact excitation close to ionization equilibrium, indicating nonequilibrium ionizing (NEI) conditions in the source. The well known temperature diagnostics {G}(T_e)=(i+f)/r of helium-like triplets (O Vii & Ne Ix) confirm this suggestion, with values that are inconsistent with ionization equilibrium. The temperatures implied are well above the maximum emission temperature T_m for each ion, and consistent with a purely ionizing plasma. The density diagnostics R(n_e)=f/i meanwhile, are consistent with the low density limit, as expected.