Chandra observation of the Galactic supernova remnant CTB 109 (G109.1-1.0)

Context. We study the X-ray emission of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) CTB 109 (G109.1-1.0), which is well-known for its enigmatic half-shell morphology both in radio and in X-rays and is associated with the anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP) 1E 2259+586.
Aims: We want to understand the origin of the X-ray bright feature inside the SNR called the Lobe and the details of the interaction of the SNR shock wave with the ambient interstellar medium (ISM).
Methods: The Lobe and the northeastern part of the SNR were observed with Chandra ACIS-I. We analysed the spectrum of the X-ray emission by dividing the entire observed emission into small regions. The X-ray emission is best reproduced with one-component or two-component non-equilibrium ionisation models depending on the position. In the two-component model, one emission component represents the shocked ISM and the other the shocked ejecta.
Results: We detect enhanced element abundances, in particular for Si and Fe, in and around the Lobe. There is one particular region next to the Lobe with a high Si abundance of 3.3 (2.6-4.0) times the solar value. This is the first, unequivocal detection of ejecta in CTB 109.
Conclusions: The new Chandra data confirm that the Lobe was created by the interaction of the SNR shock and the supernova ejecta with a dense and inhomogeneous medium in the environment of SNR CTB 109. The newly calculated age of the SNR is t ≈ 1.4 × 10⁴ yr.