NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Spitzer Observations of Dust Destruction in the Puppis A Supernova RemnantThe interaction of the Puppis A supernova remnant (SNR) with a neighboring molecular cloud provides a unique opportunity to measure the amount of grain destruction in an SNR shock. Spitzer Space Telescope MIPS imaging of the entire SNR at 24, 70, and 160 micrometers shows an extremely good correlation with X-ray emission, indicating that the SNR's IR radiation is dominated by the thermal emission of swept-up interstellar dust, collisionally heated by the hot shocked gas. Spitzer IRS spectral observations targeted both the Bright Eastern Knot (BEK) of the SNR where a small cloud has been engulfed by the supernova blast wave and outlying portions of the associated molecular cloud that are yet to be hit by the shock front. Modeling the spectra from both regions reveals the composition and the grain size distribution of the interstellar dust, both in front of and behind the SNR shock front. The comparison shows that the ubiquitous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of the interstellar medium are destroyed within the BEK, along with nearly 25% of the mass of graphite and silicate dust grains.
Document ID
20110015477
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Arendt, Richard G.
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
Dweek, Eli
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Blair, William P.
(Johns Hopkins Univ. Baltimore, MD, United States)
Ghavamian, Parviz
(Space Telescope Science Inst. Baltimore, MD, United States)
Hwang, Una
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Long, Knox X.
(Space Telescope Science Inst. Baltimore, MD, United States)
Petre, Robert
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Rho, Jeonghee
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Winkler, P. Frank
(Middlebury Coll. VT, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
December 10, 2010
Publication Information
Publication: The Astrophysical Journal
Volume: 725
Subject Category
Astronomy
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.JA.4881.2011
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF AST-0908566
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available