"Ears" formation in Supernova Remnants: Overhearing an interaction history with bipolar circumstellar structures

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new hydrodynamic model explaining the formation of 'ear'-like protrusions in supernova remnants through interaction with bipolar circumstellar media, supported by simulations matching observed features.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel scenario for 'ear' formation in SNRs involving bipolar CSM interaction, supported by detailed 2D hydrodynamic simulations and comparison with observations.

Findings

Simulations reproduce 'ear' sizes, shapes, and kinematics.

'Ears' form during shock breakout from bipolar CSM.

Model aligns with observed SNR features and suggests progenitor types.

Abstract

A characteristic feature that is frequently met in nearby supernova remnants (SNRs) is the existence of two antisymmetric, local protrusions that are projected as two "ears" in the morphology of the nebula. In this work, we present a novel scenario for the "ear" formation process according to which the two lobes are formed through the interaction of the SNR with a bipolar circumstellar medium (CSM) that was surrounding the explosion center. We conduct two dimensional hydrodynamic simulations and we show that the SNR shock breakout from the bipolar CSM triggers the inflation of two opposite protrusions at the equator of the remnant that retain their size and shape for several hundreds up to a few thousand years of the SNR evolution. We run a set of models by varying the supernova (SN) and CSM properties and we demonstrate that the extracted results reveal a good agreement with the observables, regarding the "ears" sizes, lifespan, morphology and kinematics. We discuss the plausibility of our model in nature and we suggest that the most likely progenitors of the "ear-carrying" SNRs are the Luminous Blue Variables or the Red/Yellow Supergiants for the SNRs resulted by core collapse SN events and the symbiotic binaries or the planetary nebulae for the remnants formed by Type Ia SNe. Finally, we compare our model with other "ear" formation models of the literature and we show that there are distinctive differences among them, concerning the "ears" orientation and the phase in which the "ear" formation process occurs.