Modified equipartition calculation for supernova remnants

TL;DR

This paper introduces a modified equipartition calculation method tailored for supernova remnants, providing more accurate magnetic field strength estimates and applying it to all known Galactic SNRs with available data.

Contribution

A new modified equipartition calculation method specifically designed for supernova remnants, improving magnetic field and energy estimates.

Findings

Calculated magnetic field strengths for all Galactic SNRs with available data.

Provided a web application for easy magnetic field estimation in SNRs.

Enhanced accuracy of magnetic field estimates in supernova remnants.

Abstract

Determination of the magnetic field strength in the interstellar medium is one of the most complex tasks of contemporary astrophysics. We can only estimate the order of magnitude of the magnetic field strength by using a few very limited methods. Besides Zeeman effect and Faraday rotation, the equipartition or the minimum-energy calculation is a widespread method for estimating magnetic field strength and energy contained in the magnetic field and cosmic ray particles by using only the radio synchrotron emission. Despite of its approximate character, it remains a useful tool, especially when there is no other data about the magnetic field in a source. In this paper we give a modified calculation which we think is more appropriate for estimating magnetic field strengths and energetics in supernova remnants (SNRs). Finally, we present calculated estimates of the magnetic field strengths for all Galactic SNRs for which the necessary observational data are available. The web application for calculation of the magnetic field strength of SNRs is available at http://poincare.matf.bg.ac.rs/~arbo/eqp/.