Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 1998
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998apj...492l.143m&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal Letters v.492, p.L143
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
23
Stars: Circumstellar Matter, Hydrodynamics, Stars: Supernovae: Individual Alphanumeric: Sn 1987A, Ultraviolet: Ism
Scientific paper
The high-velocity Ly alpha emission from SN 1987A observed with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) evidently comes from a reverse shock formed where the outer envelope of SN 1987A strikes ionized gas inside the inner circumstellar ring. The observations can be explained by a simple kinematic model, in which the Ly alpha emission comes from hydrogen atoms with radial velocity ~15,000 km s-1 crossing a reverse shock in the shape of a slightly prolate ellipsoid with equatorial radius 4.8x1017 cm or ~80% of the distance to the inner surface of the inner ring. N V lambda lambda 1239, 1243 emission, if present, has a net luminosity <~30% times that of the Ly alpha emission. Future STIS observations should enable us to predict the time of impact with the inner ring and to determine unambiguously whether or not N V emission is present. These observations will offer a unique opportunity to probe the structure of SN 1987A's circumstellar environment and the hydrodynamics and kinetics of very fast shocks.
Borkowski Kazimierz J.
Jason Pun Chun Shing
McCray Richard
Michael Eli
Sonneborn George
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