Identifying the Composition of Supernova Remnants
The remnants from the supernova explosions of massive stars are the
birth place for many of the chemical elements. These elements come
from the star itself, from elements
created in the explosion of the star, and from gas around the star
that exploded. Suzaku, with its ability to determine the energy of
X-rays very precisely, will help us learn more about the elements in
supernova remnants.
During a supernova explosion, a massive star ejects gas out into space.
The force of the explosion also sends a shock wave into space. As this shock
wave interacts with the ejected gas, the gas heats up and emits
x-rays. Because the gas is hot, some of the electrons are stripped
from the atoms in the gas, and the atoms becomes ionized. The energies of the
electrons remaining in the atom are raised, and then decay again,
emitting light at specific energies. By observing these emission
lines we can identify the element, the degree of ionization of the
atoms, and how much of the particular element is in the gas. Some of
the elements we see are those created by the energy of the supernova
explosion. With
its sensitivity, Suzaku will also be able to identify and
measure less abundant elements in SNR, such as sodium, aluminum,
cobalt, and nickel.
As the shock wave continues to expand, it also heats up the gas that
surrounded the star. In some remnants it is difficult to distinguish
whether a particular element is coming from the ejected material or
was already present in the surrounding gas. Suzaku will help to
unravel these puzzles.
|
|
The x-ray spectrum from a supernova
remnant, showing the emission lines from different elements
|
Publication Date: June 2005
|
