HST Spectroscopy of the Dynamical Structure of the SN 1987A Debris

Details HST Spectroscopy of the Dynamical Structure of the SN 1987A Debris HST Spectroscopy of the Dynamical Structure of the SN 1987A Debris

Oct 2000

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000aas...196.6102p&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, 196th AAS Meeting, #61.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 32, p.1284

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

We present a spatially-resolved velocity map of the SN 1987A debris with HST/STIS. The supernova debris is now powered by the radioactive nuclei synthesized during the explosion. At present, the most important contributor is 44Ti. Therefore, the emission lines in the SN 1987A debris spectrum now originate mostly from the inner regions of the supernova ejecta, where most of the newly synthesized Fe-rich elements reside. Previous observations of the debris (BAAS, 29, 1368) with WFPC2 imaging show that the debris is not spherically symmetric. Instead it is elliptical with the long axis of the debris extending along the minor axis of the inner ring. This is what one would expect if the debris is actually elongated perpendicular to the plane of the inner ring. Subsequent imagings of the debris show that the debris is becoming resolved into two opposing blobs. We have mapped the kinematics of the debris in Hα emission at three different locations across the debris. We are able to reconstruct a spatially-resolved velocity map of the emissivity of the supernova atmosphere. This provides an insight into the inner structure of the exploded star and the dynamics of the explosion. Support for this work is provided by NASA through grant GO-08243 from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. C.S.J.P. acknowledges support by the STIS IDT through AURA/NOAO by NASA.

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