Reverse Shock Revisited in Cassiopeia A with Chandra

Abstract

Using data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we revisit the reverse shock in the supernova remnant (SNR) Cassiopeia A. Based on spectroscopy of a series of annuli in the northwest (NW) and southeast (SE), we get the radial profiles of the S/Si K α line flux ratio and Fe K α line centroid energy. They both show monotonic increase, confirming that the Si- and Fe-rich ejecta are heated by the reverse shock. The abrupt change of the S and Si line flux ratio is clearly observed in Cassiopeia A, leading to the determination of the reverse-shock location (∼1.′71 $\,\pm \,$ 0.′16 and ∼1.′35 $\,\pm \,$ 0.′18 in the NW and SE, with respect to the central source). By comparing the radial profiles of the S and Si line flux, we find that the reverse shock is moving outward in the frame of the observer, and the velocities are ∼3950 ± 210 km s ^−1 and ∼2900 ± 260 km s ^−1 in the NW and SE, respectively. In contrast, the velocities become ∼1150 km s ^−1 (NW) and ∼1300 km s ^−1 (SE) in the ejecta frame. Our measured reverse-shock velocities are quite consistent with those obtained from the X-ray and/or optical images. They therefore supply a cross-check of the accuracy for the two available methods for measuring the reverse-shock velocity in SNRs. Both the location and the velocity of the reverse shock show apparent asymmetry, suggesting that the asymmetric explosion of the progenitor plays a key role in the interaction between the reverse shock and the ejecta, ultimately shaping the complex features observed in SNRs.

Keywords

• Supernova remnants
• Interstellar medium
• X-ray astronomy
• Shocks