The Exceptional X-ray Evolution of SN1996cr in High Resolution

TL;DR

This study presents a detailed 18-year X-ray spectral analysis of SN1996cr, revealing complex ejecta-CSM interactions, geometrical structures, and shock components, advancing understanding of supernova evolution and explosion mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces a polar geometrical model with dual plasma components to explain the evolving X-ray line profiles of SN1996cr, based on high-resolution spectral data.

Findings

Two plasma components with distinct geometries and absorption levels were identified.

The hotter component is associated with reflected shocks, while the colder relates to forward shocks.

The model explains the evolution of X-ray line profiles over 18 years.

Abstract

We present X-ray spectra spanning 18 years of evolution for SN\,1996cr, one of the five nearest SNe detected in the modern era. {\it Chandra} HETG exposures in 2000, 2004, and 2009 allow us to resolve spectrally the velocity profiles of Ne, Mg, Si, S, and Fe emission lines and monitor their evolution as tracers of the ejecta-circumstellar medium (CSM) interaction. To explain the diversity of X-ray line profiles, we explore several possible geometrical models. Based on the highest signal-to-noise 2009 epoch, we find that a polar geometry with two distinct opening angle configurations and internal obscuration can successfully reproduce all of the observed line profiles. The best fit model consists of two plasma components: (1) a mildly absorbed (2$\times$10$^{21}$\,cm$^{-2}$), cooler ($\approx$2\,keV) with high Ne, Mg, Si, and S abundances associated with a wide polar interaction region (half-opening angle $\approx$58$^{\circ}$); (2) a moderately absorbed (2$\times$10$^{22}$\,cm$^{-2}$), hotter (>~20\,keV) plasma with high Fe abundances and strong internal obscuration associated with a narrow polar interaction region (half-opening angle $\approx$20$^{\circ}$). We extend this model to seven further epochs with lower signal-to-noise ratio and/or lower spectral-resolution between 2000-2018, yielding several interesting trends in absorption, flux, geometry and expansion velocity. We argue that the hotter and colder components are associated with reflected and forward shocks, respectively, at least at later epochs. We discuss the physical implications of our results and plausible explosion scenarios to understand the X-ray data of SN\,1996cr.