2003/12/12 by Jacco Vink · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/381930
published as Astrophys.J. 604 (2004) 693-699 · Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 7 pages, 7 figures
arxiv created 2003/12/12 · openalex publication_date 2004/03/26 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
I report here on the analysis and interpretation of a Chandra observation of the supernova remnant Kes 32. Kes 32 is rather weak in X-rays due to a large interstellar absorption, which is found to be ~4E22 cm-2, larger than previously reported. Spectral analysis indicates that the ionization age of this object is very young, with ne t ~ 4E9 cm-3s, and a temperature of kTe ~ 1 keV. The X-ray emission peaks at a smaller radius than in the radio. The low ionization age suggests that Kes 32 is a young remnant. However, a young age is in contradiction with the relatively large apparent size, which indicates an age of several thousand years, instead of a few hundred years. This problem is discussed in connection with Kes 32's unknown distance and its possible association with the Norma galactic arm.