HFPK 334 : an unusual supernova remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud

E. J. Crawford, M. D. Filipovic, R. L. McEntaffer, T. Brantseg, K. Heitritter, Q. Roper, F. Haberl, D. Urosevic

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    15 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    We present new Australia Telescope Compact Array radio-continuum and XMM-Newton/Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of the unusual supernova remnant (SNR) HFPK 334 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The remnant follows a shell-type morphology in the radio continuum and has a size of ∼20 pc at the SMC distance. The X-ray morphology is similar; however, we detect a prominent point source close to the center of the SNR exhibiting a spectrum with a best-fit power law with a photon index of Γ= 2.7 ± 0.5. This central point source is most likely a background object and cannot be directly associated with the remnant. The high temperature, nonequilibrium conditions in the diffuse region suggest that this gas has been recently shocked and points toward a younger SNR with an age of <~1800 yr. With an average radio spectral index of α = −0.59 ± 0.09, we find that an equipartition magnetic field for the remnant is ∼90 μG, a value typical of younger SNRs in low-density environments. Also, we report the detection of scattered radio polarization across the remnant at 20 cm, with a peak fractional polarization level of 25%±5%. Note: Some of the scientific symbols cannot be represented correctly in the abstract. Please read with caution and refer to the original publication.
    Original languageEnglish
    Article number99
    Number of pages8
    JournalAstronomical Journal
    Volume148
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2014

    Keywords

    • Magellanic Clouds
    • pulsars
    • supernova remnants

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