Utilizing the AstroSat satellite, astronomers from the College of Calgary, Canada, have recognized 20 supernova remnants (SNRs) within the Andromeda Galaxy, which exhibit diffuse ultraviolet emission. The discovering, offered in a analysis paper revealed January 25 on the arXiv preprint server, might assist us higher perceive the origin and properties of ultraviolet emission in SNRs.
SNRs are diffuse, increasing buildings ensuing from a supernova explosion. They comprise ejected materials increasing from the explosion and different interstellar materials that has been swept up by the passage of the shockwave from the exploded star.
Research of supernova remnants are necessary for astronomers, as they play a key function within the evolution of galaxies, dispersing the heavy elements made within the supernova explosion and offering the vitality wanted for heating up the interstellar medium. SNRs are additionally believed to be accountable for the acceleration of galactic cosmic rays.
Though many extragalactic SNRs have been detected so far, those showcasing ultraviolet (UV) emission are tough to seek out, primarily as a result of robust interstellar extinction for our galaxy within the UV. What’s noteworthy, regardless of the current progress in UV-based SNR analysis, is that there doesn’t but exist a catalog of extragalactic UV-emitting SNRs.
That’s the reason a workforce of astronomers led by Denis Leahy determined to conduct a seek for UV-emitting SNRs within the close by Andromeda Galaxy (often known as Messier 31, or M31), with the intention of producing the primary catalog of such objects in one other galaxy. For this goal they employed AstroSat’s Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT).
“UV photos of M31 had been obtained by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope on the AstroSat satellite, and the record of SNRs was obtained from X-ray, optical and radio catalogs of SNRs in M31. We used the UVIT photos to seek out SNRs with diffuse emission, omitting these too contaminated with stellar emission,” the researchers wrote within the paper.
The workforce initially chosen 177 SNRs with a view to examine whether or not or not they showcase diffuse ultraviolet emission. Out of the entire pattern, 20 supernova remnants turned out to be UV emitters. The recognized sources exhibit diffuse emission which isn’t related to stars, though the power of the diffuse emission varies.
The astronomers in contrast the band luminosities of those 20 SNRs to the band luminosities of seven beforehand recognized UV-emitting SNRs within the Milky Way, Massive Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). In consequence, they discovered comparable spectral shapes between the recognized SNRs and the SNRs within the Andromeda Galaxy. The discovering means that the UV emission from the supernova remnants reported within the paper is dominated by line emission and that this emission is related to the SNRs.
The authors of the research suggest spectroscopic observations to verify the road nature of the UV emission from the newly recognized SNRs. Nevertheless, they famous that will probably be tough to carry out spectroscopy for the sometimes crowded areas within the Andromeda Galaxy the place these SNRs are positioned.
Extra info:
Denis Leahy et al, Discovery of 20 UV Emitting SNRs in M31 with UVIT, arXiv (2023). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2301.10381
Journal info:
arXiv
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Astronomers determine 20 ultraviolet-emitting supernova remnants within the Andromeda Galaxy (2023, February 2)
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