Estimating Global Ejecta Mass Ratios in Tycho’s Supernova Remnant

Abstract

In this work, as a follow-up to our similar analysis of Kepler’s supernova remnant (SNR), we estimate total mass ratios of various ejecta elements in Tycho’s SNR using Suzaku X-ray data. In our spectral analysis, we account for uncertainties arising from Suzaku’s effective area calibration (5%–15%) and from the unknown filling factors of the various plasma components in our spectral model (1%–10%). We compare our calculated ejecta mass ratios to results from previous X-ray analyses of Tycho’s SNR and to the nucleosynthesis results from Type Ia supernova simulations. Our estimated ejecta mass ratios for Tycho’s SNR are only consistent with simulations that use a ∼90% attenuated ^12 C+ ^16 O reaction rate (as for Kepler’s SNR), are inconsistent with simulations involving a double detonation of a thick helium layer, and support a Type Ia explosion of normal luminosity where ∼85% of the ejecta has been heated by the reverse shock.

Keywords

• Supernova remnants
• Markov chain Monte Carlo
• X-ray astronomy
• X-ray telescopes
• Calibration
• Spectroscopy