CHANDRA OBSERVATIONS OF THE EASTERN LIMB OF THE VELA SUPERNOVA REMNANT

Plucinsky, P.P. Smith, R.K, Edgar, R.J., Gaetz, T.J., Slane, P.O. (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), Blair, W.P. (Johns Hopkins University), Townsley, L.K., and Broos, P.S. (Pennsylvania State University)


Abstract

We present results from two Chandra/ACIS observations of the so-called Vela ``Bullet D'' region on the eastern limb of the Vela supernova remnant. The Bullet D region is a bright X-ray feature, identified by Aschenbach et al. from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey, which protrudes beyond the blast wave on the east side of the remnant. It has been suggested that this feature is a fragment of supernova ejecta which is just now pushing beyond the position of the main blast wave. An alternate explanation is that the feature is a ``break-out'' of the shock in which inhomogeneities in the ambient medium cause the shock to be non-spherical. We will use the imaging and spectral capabilities of the Chandra/ACIS instrument to distinguish between these competing explanations.

CATEGORY: SUPERNOVAE, SUPERNOVA REMNANTS AND ISOLATED NEUTRON STARS



 

Himel Ghosh
2001-08-02