An Integral View of Fast Shocks around Supernova 1006

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution optical spectroscopy to analyze shock structures in supernova remnant 1006, revealing evidence of suprathermal protons that may seed cosmic-ray production.

Contribution

It provides detailed spatial-spectral maps of supernova shock regions, highlighting variations indicative of particle acceleration processes.

Findings

Detection of two-component Hα lines at 133 locations

Variations in line widths suggest presence of suprathermal protons

Evidence supporting shock acceleration of cosmic rays

Abstract

Supernova remnants are among the most spectacular examples of astrophysical pistons in our cosmic neighborhood. The gas expelled by the supernova explosion is launched with velocities ~ 1000 km/s into the ambient, tenuous interstellar medium, producing shocks that excite hydrogen lines. We have used an optical integral-field spectrograph to obtain high-resolution spatial-spectral maps that allow us to study in detail the shocks in the northwestern rim of supernova 1006. The two-component H\alpha\ line is detected at 133 sky locations. Variations in the broad line widths and the broad-to-narrow line intensity ratios across tens of atomic mean free paths suggest the presence of suprathermal protons, the potential seed particles for generating high-energy cosmic-rays.