The Ultraviolet Spectrum of a Face-on Shock Wave in the VELA Supernova Remnant

Details The Ultraviolet Spectrum of a Face-on Shock Wave in the VELA Supernova Remnant The Ultraviolet Spectrum of a Face-on Shock Wave in the VELA Supernova Remnant

Jun 1997

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997apj...482..881r&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal v.482, p.881

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

26

Ism: Individual Name: Vela Supernova Remnant, Shock Waves, Ism: Supernova Remnants, Ultraviolet: Ism

Scientific paper

Ultraviolet emission lines in supernova remnants (SNRs) provide important clues to the shock velocities, densities, grain destruction, and thermal structure of the cooling regions in these objects. However, several of the brightest ultraviolet emission lines seen in SNRs, including C II lambda 1335, C IV lambda 1550, and O VI lambda 1034, are resonance lines whose brightnesses will be reduced by scattering if the column density along the line of sight is sufficiently large. Scattering is particularly important in the bright filaments of SNRs because these shock waves are seen nearly edge-on. To assess the importance of resonant scattering in the UV, we have taken advantage of the enormous diffuse source sensitivity of the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope to observe the UV emission from a face-on shock in the Vela supernova remnant. The position chosen is seen in projection near the center of the remnant and corresponds to a bright soft X-ray region. A 165 km s-1 shock with a 30% carbon depletion matches most of the line intensities, but the weakness of the N V lambda 1240 line may suggest a departure from the simple shock models. We compare the spectrum of the face-on shock to that of a nearby bright filament and find some differences in shock velocity as well as in resonance-line scattering. We also derive the ram pressure of the shock from Fabry-Perot observations, and find that it greatly exceeds the thermal pressure derived from the [S II] doublet. This result strongly suggests pressure support by magnetic fields or cosmic rays.

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