X-ray supernova remnants in the starburst region of M82

TL;DR

This study identifies and characterizes six X-ray supernova remnants in M82's starburst region using Chandra data, revealing their properties, estimating supernova rates, and discussing implications for starburst winds and Fe emission.

Contribution

First systematic identification of X-ray SNRs in M82's starburst region using spectral line excess and archival data, linking X-ray and radio observations.

Findings

Six X-ray SNRs identified, including a young radio supernova.

Estimated supernova rate of 0.06 per year, consistent with other methods.

Fe xxv luminosity from SNRs accounts for half of total Fe xxv emission in the region.

Abstract

We searched for X-ray supernova remnants (SNRs) in the starburst region of M82, using archival data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory with a total effective exposure time of 620 ks with an X-ray spectroscopic selection. Strong line-emission from Fe xxv at 6.7 keV is a characteristic spectral feature of hot, shocked gas of young SNRs and distinctive among the discrete sources in the region populated by X-ray binaries. We selected candidates using narrow-band imaging aimed at the line excess and identified six (and possibly a seventh) X-ray SNRs. Two previously known examples were recovered by our selection. Five of them have radio counterparts, including the radio supernova SN2008iz, which was discovered as a radio transient in 2008. It shows a hard X-ray spectrum with a blueshifted Fe K feature with v ~ -2700 km/s, both of which suggest its youth. The 4-8 keV luminosities of the selected SNRs are in the range of (0.3-3)e38 erg/s. We made a crude estimate of the supernova rate, assuming that more luminous SNRs are younger, and found 0.06 (0.03-0.13) /yr, in agreement with the supernova rates estimated by radio observations and the generally believed star formation rate of M82, although the validity of the assumption is questionable. A sum of the Fe xxv luminosity originating from the selected X-ray SNRs consists of half of the total Fe xxv luminosity observed in the central region of M82. We briefly discuss its implications for starburst winds and the Fe xxv emission in more luminous starburst galaxies.