Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2012
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012aas...21943907r&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #439.07
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We present Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph 14-36 micron spectral mapping of the entire supernova remnant N132D in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We show a multi- wavelength study of N132D including archival Chandra X-ray and HST optical maps. This case study focuses on the processing of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) that were previously identified in the southeastern blast wave of N132D by Tappe et al. 2006. The mid-infrared spectra trace the strong continuum emission and show a unique, nearly featureless hump in the 15 to 20 micron region. We attribute this emission to PAH molecules and show how the typical PAH emission bands observed in the surrounding medium ahead of the blast wave disappear. We present changes in the PAH emission spectra as a function of the distance from the shock front. The featureless PAH hump appears most strongly at the outer edge of the blast wave and coincides with fainter, diffuse X-ray emission that precedes the brightest X-ray and optical filaments. This suggests that PAH molecules in the surrounding medium are swept up and processed in the hot gas of the blast wave shock, where they survive the harsh conditions long enough to be detected. In addition, a broad emission feature at 20 micron appears together with the PAH hump. We speculate that this feature is connected to the processing of PAH molecules or clusters in the blast wave shock. We find a similarity of this feature to the well-known but as of yet unidentified 20.1 micron feature observed in carbon-rich protoplanetary nebulae and our detection might offer new clues for its identification.
Rho Jeonghee
Tappe Achim
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