Spitzer Observations of Supernova Remnant IC 443

TL;DR

This study uses Spitzer IR observations to analyze the morphology, dust temperature, and shock properties of the supernova remnant IC 443, revealing detailed insights into its structure and shock velocities.

Contribution

First detailed mid/far IR morphological and spectroscopic analysis of IC 443 using Spitzer data, highlighting shock velocities and dust temperature distribution.

Findings

Morphology resembles a loop or shell at IR wavelengths.

Dust temperature ranges from 18 to 30 K.

Shock velocities estimated between 60-90 km/s.

Abstract

We present Spitzer observations of IC 443 obtained with MIPS and IRS as part of our GTO program on the astrophysics of ejecta from evolved stars. We find that the overall morphology at mid/far IR wavelengths resembles even more closely a loop or a shell than the ground based optical and/or near IR images.The dust temperature map, based on the 70/160micron ratio, shows a range from 18 to 30 K degrees. The IRS spectra confirm the findings from previous near+mid IR spectroscopic observations of a collisionally excited gas, atomic and molecular, rich in fine structure atomic and pure H2 rotational emission lines, respectively. The spectroscopic shock indicator, [Ne II] 12.8micron, suggests shock velocities ranging from 60-90 km/s, consistent with the values derived from other indicators.