Magnesium-rich Ejecta in the SNR G284.3$-$1.8 Around the High-Mass Gamma-Ray Binary 1FGL J1018.6$-$5856

TL;DR

This study investigates the supernova remnant G284.3-1.8 and its associated high-mass gamma-ray binary 1FGL J1018.6-5856, revealing Mg-rich ejecta and insights into the system's evolution and explosion characteristics.

Contribution

First detection of Mg-rich ejecta in an SNR associated with a high-mass gamma-ray binary, linking nucleosynthesis to progenitor mass.

Findings

Mg-rich ejecta detected, similar to LMC remnant N49B.

Binary evolution models match observed properties with massive stars.

Remnant shows regions with different spectral characteristics.

Abstract

We present results from two {\it Chandra} observations of the 16.6 d X-ray/$\gamma$-ray high-mass binary 1FGL J1018.6$-$5856 located at the center of the supernova remnant G284.3$-$1.8. The binary spectra, separated by 0.25 in binary phase, are fit with an absorbed power-law model with $\Gamma\approx1.7-1.8$ for both observations (the flux during the second observation is a factor of 1.7 smaller). In the high-resolution ACIS-I image we found a hint of extended emission $\approx2''$--$3''$ southeast of the binary, significant at the $3\sigma$ level. Binary evolution codes reproduce the system's observed properties with two massive stars with an initial 18-day period, undergoing mass transfer and leaving behind a heavy $\approx2$ $\msun$ neutron star. The initial mass of the progenitor star in this scenario is 27 $\pm 4$ $\msun$. \emph{Chandra} and {\it XMM-Newton} images of the remnant show it has a relatively low X-ray surface brightness. The two brightest regions of extended X-ray emission, with luminosities $\sim10^{33}$ erg s$^{-1}$ for $d=5$ kpc, lie in the northern and western portions and show significantly different spectra. The northern patch is consistent with shocked ISM, with a low temperature and long ionization timescale. However, the western patch is dominated by ejecta, and shows significantly enhanced Mg content relative to other ejecta products. The abundance ratios inferred resemble those from the Large Magellanic Cloud remnant N49B. To our knowledge, this is only the second case of such Mg-rich ejecta found in an SNR. Nucleosynthesis models for core-collapse SNe predict Mg-rich ejecta from very massive progenitors of $>25$ $\msun$.