O VI Emission from Superbubble in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

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Scientific paper

We present measurements of the OVI 1032Å flux from four superbubbles in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The OVI emission line was detected in spectra obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer of superbubbles N185, N186E, N51D and N57A. The locations observed were serendipitous to the extent that the primary targets in each case were stars. The stars were observed through the medium-resolution aperture, while the emission was detected in the spectra obtained through the larger low-resolution aperture. In addition, OVI emission was detected along a sight line through the LMC that did not intersect any nebula. In all cases, the OVI emission lines were centered near the LMC velocity of 275 km/s. The OVI surface brightnesses measured in these superbubble spectra lie between 11,000 and 21,000 Line Units (LU). Thus, superbubbles are brighter in OVI than hot diffuse gas both in the LMC and the Galaxy (measured surface brightnesses 1,800--9,100 LU), and fainter than supernova remnants (24,000--2,000,000 LU).
The detection of OVI emission implies the existence of fast shocks (velocities greater than about 160 km/s) in these superbubbles. This in turn provides supporting evidence for the presence of interior, off-center supernova remnants interacting with the superbubble shell, which are thought to be responsible for accelerating the shell and producing the bulk of the X-ray emission. We use the measured OVI surface brightnesses to place constraints on properties such as the density of the pre-shock gas and the driving pressure inside the bubbles, and we describe how these results contribute to our understanding of the energetics and evolution of superbubbles.

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