Joint Suzaku and XMM-Newton Spectral Analysis of the Southwest Cygnus Loop

We carry out a joint spectral analysis of the Cygnus Loop using data from all six detectors combined from Suzaku and XMM-Newton. This had not been done before, but if a spectral model is physically realistic, it is required that it be consistent with data from different instruments. Thus, our results are an important verification of spectral models for the Cygnus Loop. One of the prominent features of the Cygnus Loop is the bright "V" region near the southwest rim. We choose this region, in part, because it has been observed by both Suzaku and XMM-Newton. We divide the field of view into 12 box-shaped regions, such that each contains 9000-13,000 photons in the Suzaku-XIS1 camera. A non-equilibrium ionization model with variable abundances (VNEI) or a two-component VNEI model is found to fit the observations. Resulting electron temperatures and ionization timescales are inversely related, consistent with an origin in density variations by a factor of ~3. Element abundances and temperature are strongly correlated, which can be explained by mixing in the outer hydrogen-rich envelope of ejecta: Heavy-element-rich regions have higher velocity to reach this far out from the center of the Cygnus Loop, resulting in higher shock temperature for more element-rich regions.