Molecular bipolar outflow in SN 1987A supports the jittering-jets explosion mechanism

TL;DR

This study analyzes molecular maps of SN 1987A, revealing a bipolar structure aligned with observed features, supporting the jittering-jets explosion mechanism as the primary cause of core-collapse supernovae.

Contribution

It provides robust observational evidence linking bipolar molecular gas structures to jet activity, strengthening the case for the jittering-jets explosion mechanism in CCSNe.

Findings

Bipolar molecular gas structure correlates with visible bipolar morphology.

The keyhole resembles jet-shaped bubbles in other astrophysical objects.

Supports the jittering-jets mechanism as the main CCSN explosion process.

Abstract

I examine high-quality CO and SiO molecular maps of the core-collapse supernova (CCSN) remnant SN 1987A from the literature and find that the molecular gas exhibits a bipolar structure, correlated with the visible bipolar morphology (termed the keyhole) and the bipolar morphology of the iron emission map. The keyhole has a morphology similar to that of many jet-shaped pairs of bubbles in cooling-flow clusters of galaxies and planetary nebulae. Therefore, the findings of this study, which make the bipolar structure of SN 1987A robust, strengthen the claim that a pair of energetic jets shaped the keyhole and its surroundings. According to the jittering-jets explosion mechanism (JJEM), this pair of jets was the most energetic of several pairs that exploded SN 1987A. This study adds to the accumulating evidence that the JJEM is the primary explosion mechanism of CCSNe, responsible for the majority, or even all, CCSNe.