X-rays profiles in symmetric and asymmetric supernova remnants

TL;DR

This paper models the non-thermal X-ray emission profiles of supernova remnants, especially SN 1006, using diffusion and random walk theories to explain observed scale lengths and proposes a new method to estimate magnetic fields.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of diffusion and random walk models to interpret X-ray profiles in supernova remnants and suggests a new magnetic field estimation method.

Findings

Diffusion models explain X-ray scale lengths in SN 1006

Simulated X-ray flux profiles match observations

Proposed method estimates magnetic field strength in remnants

Abstract

The non-thermal X-rays from the SN 1006 NE rim present characteristic scale lengths that are interpreted in the context of diffusion of a relativistic electron. The adopted theoretical framework is the mathematical diffusion in 3D, 1D and 1D with drift as well as the Monte Carlo random walk in 1D with drift. The asymmetric random walk with diffusion from a plane can explain the scale widths of 0.04 pc upstream and 0.2 pc downstream in the non thermal intensity of X-ray emission in SN 1006. A mathematical image of the non thermal X-flux from an supernova remnant as well as profiles function of the distance from the center can be simulated. This model provides a reasonable description of both the limbs and the central region of SN 1006. A new method to deduce the magnetic field in supernova remnant is suggested.