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The Youngest Galactic Supernova Remnant: G1.9+0.3
Stephen P. Reynolds,Kazimierz J. Borkowski,David A. Green,Una Hwang,Ilana Harrus, andRobert Petre
Published 2008 May 15 • © 2008. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
The Astrophysical Journal,Volume 680,Number 1Citation Stephen P. Reynoldset al 2008ApJ680 L41DOI 10.1086/589570
Stephen P. Reynolds
AFFILIATIONS
Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
Kazimierz J. Borkowski
AFFILIATIONS
Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
David A. Green
AFFILIATIONS
Cavendish Laboratory; 19 J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
Una Hwang
AFFILIATIONS
NASA/GSFC, Code 660, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Ilana Harrus
AFFILIATIONS
NASA/GSFC, Code 660, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Robert Petre
AFFILIATIONS
NASA/GSFC, Code 660, Greenbelt, MD 20771
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- Received2008 February 29
- Accepted2008 April 22
- Published2008 May 15
Abstract
Our 50 ksChandra observation of the small radio supernova remnant (SNR) G1.9+0.3 shows a complete shell structure with strong bilateral symmetry, about 100″ in diameter. The radio morphology is also shell-like, but only about 84″ in diameter, based on observations made in 1985. We attribute the size difference to expansion between 1985 and ourChandra observations of 2007. Expansion is confirmed in comparing radio images from 1985 and 2008. We deduce that G1.9+0.3 is of order 100 years old—the youngest supernova remnant in the Galaxy. Based on a very high absorbing column density of 5.5 × 1022 cm−2, we place G1.9+0.3 near the Galactic center, at a distance of about 8.5 kpc, where the mean remnant radius would be about 2 pc, and the required expansion speed about 14,000 km s−1. The X-ray spectrum is featureless and well described by the exponentially cut off synchrotron model srcut. With the radio flux at 1 GHz fixed at 0.9 Jy, we find a spectral index of 0.65 and a rolloff frequency of 1.4 × 1018 Hz. The implied characteristic rolloff electron energy of about 94(B/10 μ G)−1/2 TeV is the highest ever reported for a shell supernova remnant. It can easily be reached by standard diffusive shock acceleration, given the very high shock velocities; it can be well described by either age-limited or synchrotron-loss-limited acceleration. Not only is G1.9+0.3 the youngest known Galactic remnant, it is also only the fourth Galactic X-ray-synchrotron-dominated shell supernova remnant.
