Spatial Distribution of Metal Emissions in SNR 3C 397 Viewed with Chandra and XMM

TL;DR

This study uses X-ray imaging to analyze the spatial distribution of elements in SNR 3C 397, revealing element-specific structures and asymmetries that inform the supernova explosion dynamics.

Contribution

It provides detailed spatial maps of elemental emissions in SNR 3C 397 using Chandra and XMM-Newton data, highlighting asymmetries and specific element distributions.

Findings

Heavier elements have smaller spatial extents.

Enhanced Mg in the southeastern blow-out region.

Asymmetric Fe features aligned diagonally.

Abstract

We present X-ray equivalent width imaging of the supernova remnant (SNR) 3C 397 for Mg He\alpha, Si He\alpha, S He\alpha, and Fe K\alpha complex lines with the Chandra and XMM-Newton observations. The images reveal that the heavier the element is, the smaller the extent of the element distribution is. The Mg emission is evidently enhanced in the southeastern blow-out region, well along the radio boundary there, and appears to partially envelope the eastern Fe knot. Two bilateral hat-like Si line-emitting structures are along the northern and southern borders, roughly symmetric with respect to the southeast-northwest elongation axis. An S line-emitting shell is located just inner to the northern radio and IR shell, indicating of a layer of reversely shocked sulphur in the ejecta. A few enhanced Fe features are basically aligned along the diagonal of the rectangular shape of the SNR, which implicates an early asymmetric SN explosion.