2001/02/06 by F. Bocchino, R. S. Warwick, Philippe Marty +4 · 68 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Center (category theory) #Ejecta #Galaxy #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Luminosity #Nebula #Neutron star #Physics #Spectral index #Spectral line #Stars #Supernova #Supernova remnant #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20010158
published in Astronomy and Astrophysics 369(3), 1078-1087 (EDP Sciences) · 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&A
arxiv created 2001/02/06 · openalex publication_date 2001/04/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
An XMM-Newton observation of the plerionic supernova remnant 3C 58 has allowed us to study the X-ray nebula with unprecedented detail. A spatially resolved spectral analysis with a resolution of 8´´has yielded a precise determination of the relation between the spectral index and the distance from the center. We do not see any evidence for bright thermal emission from the central core. In contrast with previous ASCA and Einstein results, we derive an upper limit to the black-body 0.5-10 keV luminosity and emitting area of 1.8 1032 erg s-1 and 1.3 1010 cm2, respectively, ruling out emission from the hot surface of the putative neutron star and also excluding the "outer-gap" model for hot polar caps. We have performed for the first time a spectral analysis of the outer regions of the X-ray nebula, where most of the emission is still non-thermal, but where the addition of a soft ( keV) optically thin plasma component is required to fit the spectrum at keV. This component provides 6% of the whole remnant observed flux in the 0.5-10.0 keV band. We show that a Sedov interpretation is incompatible with the SN 1181-3C 58 association, unless there is a strong deviation from electron-ion energy equipartition, and that an origin of this thermal emission in terms of the expansion of the nebula into the ejecta core nicely fits all the radio and X-ray observations.