Locating the CSM Emission within the Type Ia Supernova Remnant N103B

TL;DR

This study uses deep Chandra X-ray observations and clustering analysis to spatially locate emission components in the Type Ia supernova remnant N103B, revealing distinct distributions of elements that support a circumstellar medium origin.

Contribution

It introduces a combined imaging and clustering approach to map emission components within a supernova remnant, providing new insights into its elemental distribution and CSM interaction.

Findings

O and Mg emission aligns with the blast wave and dust emission

Enhanced O and Mg abundances support CSM origin

Cr and Fe share the same interior distribution, separate from O and Mg

Abstract

We present results from deep Chandra observations of the young Type Ia supernova remnant (SNR) 0509-68.7, also known as N103B, located in the Large Magellanic cloud (LMC). The remnant displays an asymmetry in brightness, with the western hemisphere appearing significantly brighter than the eastern half. Previous multi-wavelength observations have attributed the difference to a density gradient and suggested circumstellar material origins, drawing similarities to Kepler's SNR. We apply a clustering technique combined with traditional imaging analysis to spatially locate various emission components within the remnant. We find that O and Mg emission is strongest along the blast wave, and coincides with Spitzer observations of dust emission and optical emission from the non-radiative shocks. The abundances of O and Mg in these regions are enhanced relative to the average LMC abundances and appear as a distinct spatial distribution compared to the ejecta products, supporting the circumstellar medium (CSM) interpretation. We also find that the spatial distribution of Cr is identical to that of Fe in the interior of the remnant, and does not coincide at all with the O and Mg emission.