X-ray illumination of the ejecta of Supernova 1987A

Details X-ray illumination of the ejecta of Supernova 1987A X-ray illumination of the ejecta of Supernova 1987A

2011-06-12

arxiv.org/abs/1106.2300v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

To appear in Nature on 23 June 2011 (already available online). 39 pages with 10 figures

Scientific paper

10.1038/nature10090

We present the late-time optical light curve of the ejecta of SN 1987A measured from HST imaging observations spanning the past 17 years. We find that the flux from the ejecta declined up to around year 2001, powered by the radioactive decay of 44Ti. Then the flux started to increase, more than doubling by the end of 2009. We show that the increase is the result of energy deposited by X-rays produced in the interaction with the circumstellar medium. We suggest that the change of the dominant energy input to the ejecta, from internal to external, marks the transition from supernova to supernova remnant. The details of the observations and the modelling are described in the accompanying supplementary information.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

X-ray illumination of the ejecta of Supernova 1987A does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with X-ray illumination of the ejecta of Supernova 1987A, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and X-ray illumination of the ejecta of Supernova 1987A will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-712397