Rapid Expansion of the Young Type Ia Supernova Remnant 0519–69.0: More Evidence for a Circumstellar Shell

Abstract

The nature of Type Ia supernovae remains controversial. The youngest remnants of Ia supernovae hold clues to the explosion and to the immediate surroundings. We present a third epoch of Chandra observations of the ∼600 yr old Type Ia remnant 0519–69.0 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, extending the time baseline to 21 yr from the initial 2000 observations. We find rapid expansion of X-ray emitting material, with an average velocity of 4760 km s ^−1 . At the distance of the LMC, this corresponds to an undecelerated age of 750 yr, with the true age somewhat lower. We also find that the bright ring of emission has expanded by 1.3%, corresponding to a velocity of 1900 km s ^−1 and an undecelerated age of 1600 yr. The high velocity of the peripheral X-rays, contrasted with the modest expansion of the main X-ray shell, provides further evidence for a massive shell of circumstellar material.

Keywords

• Interstellar medium
• Supernova remnants