A broadband study of the emission from the composite supernova remnant MSH 11-62

Patrick Slane, John P. Hughes, Tea Temim, Romain Rousseau, Daniel Castro, Dillon Foight, B. M. Gaensler, Stefan Funk, Marianne Lemoine-Goumard, Joseph D. Gelfand, David A. Moffett, Richard G. Dodson, Joseph P. Bernstein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

MSH 11-62 (G291.0-0.1) is a composite supernova remnant for which radio and X-ray observations have identified the remnant shell as well as its central pulsar wind nebula. The observations suggest a relatively young system expanding into a low-density region. Here, we present a study of MSH 11-62 using observations with the Chandra, XMM -Newton, and Fermi observatories, along with radio observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array. We identify a compact X-ray source that appears to be the putative pulsar that powers the nebula, and show that the X-ray spectrum of the nebula bears the signature of synchrotron losses as particles diffuse into the outer nebula. Using data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope, we identify γ-ray emission originating from MSH 11-62. With density constraints from the new X-ray measurements of the remnant, we model the evolution of the composite system in order to constrain the properties of the underlying pulsar and the origin of the γ-ray emission.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number131
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume749
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 20 2012
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

Keywords

  • ISM: individual objects (MSH-11-62)
  • ISM: supernova remnants
  • radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
  • stars: neutron

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