Thermal Emission and Radioactive Lines, but No Pulsar, in the Broadband X-Ray Spectrum of Supernova 1987A

TL;DR

This study analyzes decades of X-ray data from Supernova 1987A, revealing thermal shock components, radioactive decay lines, and constraints on a potential compact object, with no definitive detection of pulsar activity.

Contribution

It provides a detailed spectral analysis of Supernova 1987A's evolving X-ray emission and constrains non-thermal components and the presence of a compact object.

Findings

X-ray flux below 2 keV has declined since 2013

Radioactive lines indicate $^{44}$Ti and $^{55}$Fe masses and velocities

No definitive detection of a pulsar or non-thermal X-ray emission

Abstract

Supernova 1987A offers a unique opportunity to study an evolving supernova in unprecedented detail over several decades. The X-ray emission is dominated by interactions between the ejecta and the circumstellar medium, primarily the equatorial ring (ER). We analyze 3.3 Ms of NuSTAR data obtained between 2012 and 2020, and two decades of XMM-Newton data. Since ${\sim}$2013, the flux below 2 keV has declined, the 3-8 keV flux has increased, but has started to flatten, and the emission above 10 keV has remained nearly constant. The spectra are well described by a model with three thermal shock components. Two components at 0.3 and 0.9 keV are associated with dense clumps in the ER, and a 4 keV component may be a combination of emission from diffuse gas in the ER and the surrounding low-density H II region. We disfavor models that involve non-thermal X-ray emission and place constraints on non-thermal components, but cannot firmly exclude an underlying power law. Radioactive lines show a $^{44}$Ti redshift of $670^{+520}_{-380}$ km s$^{-1}$, $^{44}$Ti mass of $1.73_{-0.29}^{+0.27}\times{}10^{-4}$ solar masses, and $^{55}$Fe mass of $<4.2\times{}10^{-4}$ solar masses. The 35-65 keV luminosity limit on the compact object is $2\times{}10^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$, and $<15$% of the 10-20 keV flux is pulsed. Considering previous limits, we conclude that there are currently no indications of a compact object, aside from a possible hint of dust heated by a neutron star in recent ALMA images.