Astronomy and astrophysics

The Cassiopeia Supernova Remnant: A Window into Core-Collapse Supernova Explosion Dynamics

Name: The Cassiopeia Supernova Remnant: A Window into Core-Collapse Supernova Explosion Dynamics
Start: 2012-09-25T10:30:00+02:00
End: 2012-09-25T11:30:00+02:00
Location: No location set

by Prof. Robert Fesen (Dartmouth College)

Tuesday 25 Sept 2012, 10:30 → 11:30 Europe/Stockholm

FA32

Description

I will present results of a recent optical spectroscopic survey of the young Galactic supernova remnant Cas A together with new high resolution HST images. These data cover the remnant's bright main shell, NE and SW jets of high-velocity ejecta, outlying ejecta knots, and some of the remnant's extremely faint interior, unshocked ejecta. These data will be compared and integrated with Chandra X-ray and Spitzer IR data in an effort to form a more complete picture of the kinematics and structure of this young SN IIb event. We find that the jets are fairly broad and opposite one another in a configuration that is highly suggestive of bipolar outflows. The interior ejecta trace out spheres that appear to connect with large-scale rings in the main shell. These data reveal a complex explosion structure that may aid in our understanding of the explosion dynamics of core-collapse SNe in general.