Abstract
We introduce a million second observation of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The bipolar structure of the Si-rich ejecta (northeast jet and southwest counterpart) is clearly evident in the new images, and their chemical similarity is confirmed by their spectra. These are most likely due to jets of ejecta as opposed to cavities in the circumstellar medium, since we can reject simple models for the latter. The properties of these jets and the Fe-rich ejecta will provide clues to the explosion of Cas A.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | L117-L120 |
Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
Volume | 615 |
Issue number | 2 II |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 10 2004 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Alexei Khokhlov for scientific discussion and the referee for helpful suggestions. This work is supported by a grant from the CXC GO program; J. M. L. was also supported by basic research funds of the Office of Naval Research.18
Keywords
- Supernova remnants
- Supernovae: General
- X-rays: ISM
- X-rays: Individual (Cassiopeia A)