A Three-Dimensional Kinematic Reconstruction of Supernova Remnant N132D's High-Velocity, Oxygen-Rich Ejecta

Observations of young, Galactic oxygen-rich supernova remnants (SNRs) have revealed prominent asymmetries in their expanding ejecta at spatial scales impossible to investigate from most extragalactic supernova observations. The three-dimensional velocity structure of these remnants provides a direct probe of core-collapse explosion dynamics, explosive mixing in the progenitor star, and ejecta interaction with the surrounding circumstellar and interstellar medium. Unfortunately, only a few such sources have been mapped with high-resolution. I will present a 3D Doppler reconstruction of optically-emitting, oxygen-rich knots in SNR N132D that showcases its distorted torus geometry in new detail. I will discuss the observed morphology in the context of its X-ray emission as well as the kinematic structure of other well-studied O-rich SNRs. In particular, morphological similarities with the prototypical O-rich SNR Cas A call into question previous interpretations of the relative influence of intrinsic explosion dynamics versus ISM/CSM interaction in shaping the stellar ejecta. The presence of a spatially-separated, high-velocity "runaway knot" of O-rich material that is coincident with a Si-enriched, bright compact X-ray source provides tantalizing evidence that a jet-like outflow may have participated in the core-collapse explosion that produced N132D.