SNR G298.6−0.0 is an old supernova remnant interacting with molecular clouds, study finds

Tomasz Nowakowski is a member of the physics.org community.

Astronomers in Japan have been observing a supernova remnant for a long time. G298.60.0 is an old SNR that interacts with clouds. There was a paper published on the arXiv pre-print server.

A supernova explosion results in a diffuse structure called a SNR. They contain ejected material expanding from the explosion and other material that has been swept up.

Studies of supernova remnants are important for astronomy as they play a key role in the evolution of the universe and provide the energy needed for heating up the interstellar medium. The acceleration of Cosmic rays is thought to be caused by SNRs.

A complex region with two bright extended regions of ionized atomic hydrogen is the location of SNR G298.60.0. A central X-ray structure inside the radio shell has been identified by previous observations of SNR G298.60.0.

The long-term monitoring campaign of SNR G298.60.0 was launched in 2008 and lasted nearly 14 years. The main goal of these observations was to investigate the multi wavelength properties of this SNR.

The three point-like components are designated Src- NE, Src- NW and Src-S. The 2–300 GeV photon index of Src- NE is softer than that of Src-S. The researchers think that the differences in the shape of the Cosmic rays are related to their origin.

According to the study, Src-NE and SrcNW show a break at energies of around 1.8 GeV, which indicates that the SNR G298.60.0 is at least 10,000 years old. The remnant of approximately 50.5 light years is the result of the kinematic distance to SNR G298.60.0 being around 33,000 light years. The old age of this SNR has been confirmed by a large physical size.

The dense clouds were found in the vicinity of SNR G298.60.0. The remnants are interacting with the clouds. The components Src-NE, Src-NW and Src-S could possibly be accounted for by the Molecular Clouds, according to the authors of the paper.

An old GeV supernova remnant interacting with molecular clouds was studied. There is a book titled "arxiv.2212.01851."

Journal information: arXiv

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