An earlier explosion date for the Crab Nebula supernova

The Chinese first reported the Crab Nebula supernova on 1054 July 5. Ecclesiastical documents from the near east reported it in April and May of 1054. More than 33 petroglyphs made by Native Americans in the US and Mexico are consistent with sightings both before and after conjunction with the Sun on 1054 May 27. We found a petroglyph showing the new star close to Venus and the Moon, which occurred on 1054 April 12 and April 13, respectively. Collins et al., using the four historical dates, derived a light curve that is like that of a Type Ia supernova. The only remaining problem with this identification is that this supernova was near maximum light for 85 d, which is unlike the behavior of any known supernova.     

宇宙线的超新星遗迹起源

宇宙线的起源是高能天体物理的核心问题之一.一直以来,超新星爆发被认为是能谱膝区以下宇宙线的主要来源.多波段观测表明,超新星遗迹有能力加速带电粒子至亚PeV (10~(15)eV)能量.扩散激波加速被认为是最有效的天体高能粒子加速机制之一,而超新星遗迹的大尺度激波正好为这一机制提供平台.近年来,一系列较高精度的地面和空间实验极大地推动了对宇宙线以及超新星遗迹的研究.新的观测事实挑战着传统的扩散激波加速模型以及其在银河系宇宙线超新星遗迹起源学说上的应用,深化了人们对宇宙高能现象的认识.结合超新星遗迹辐射能谱的时间演化特性,构建的时间依赖的超新星遗迹粒子加速模型,不仅能够解释200 GV附近宇宙线的能谱反常,还自然地形成能谱膝区,甚至可以将超新星遗迹粒子加速对宇宙线能谱的贡献延伸至踝区.该模型预期超新星遗迹中粒子的输运行为表现为湍流扩散,这需要未来的观测以及与粒子输运相关的等离子体数值模拟工作来进一步验证.     

Book reviews

The possibility of the existence, around type-I supernovae, of dust shells which existed before a supernova outburst is considered. None have so far been detected observationally; and any dust around the progenitor radiating in the near infrared would evaporate at outburst. Far infrared observations of the two possible types of progenitor, R Coronae Borealis-type stars and dwarf novae, would be useful to indicate whether there is any dust around them which would survive a supernova outburst.     

Collisional Pumping of OH Masers near Supernova Remnants

Astronomy Letters - The collisional pumping of OH masers in non-dissociative C-type shocks near supernova remnants is considered. The emergence of maser emission in OH lines is investigated for...     

Detection of star formation regions near supernova remnant W44

Observations of two infrared objects embedded in molecular clouds near the supernova remnant W44 are presented. W44-IRS1 offers compelling evidence that it is a star whose formation was recently induced by expansion of the supernova remnant. W44-IRS2 lies beyond the remnant, possibly apart from the region of its influence.Paper presented at the Conference on Protostars and Planets, held at the Planetary Science Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, between January 3 and 17, 1978.Kitt Peak National Observatory which is operated by AURA. Inc. under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Spatial Distribution of Pulsars

The spatial distributions of pulsars with ages of less than 10⁶ years and more than 10⁶ years are shown to be quite different. The spatial distributions of pulsars with ages of less than 106 years and of the remnants of supernova outbursts are essentially the same. They lie near the galactic plane in a thin zone of width 400 pc. The overwhelming majority of pulsars with ages exceeding 106 years lie outside this zone. These facts suggest a genetic relationship between pulsars and supernova remnants. The spatial distribution of pulsars with different emission periods also supports this point.     

A review of type Ia supernova spectra

SN 2011fe was the nearest and best-observed type Ia supernova in a generation, and brought previous incomplete datasets into sharp contrast with the detailed new data. In retrospect, documenting spectroscopic behaviors of type Ia supernovae has been more often limited by sparse and incomplete temporal sampling than by consequences of signal-to-noise ratios, telluric features, or small sample sizes. As a result, type Ia supernovae have been primarily studied insofar as parameters discretized by relative epochs and incomplete temporal snapshots near maximum light. Here we discuss a necessary next step toward consistently modeling and directly measuring spectroscopic observables of type Ia supernova spectra. In addition, we analyze current spectroscopic data in the parameter space defined by empirical metrics, which will be relevant even after progenitors are observed and detailed models are refined.     

Cosmic ray acceleration

This review describes the basic theory of cosmic ray acceleration by shocks including the plasma instabilities confining cosmic rays near the shock, the effect of the magnetic field orientation, the maximum cosmic ray energy and the shape of the cosmic ray spectrum. Attention is directed mainly towards Galactic cosmic rays accelerated by supernova remnants.     

Systematic search for molecular clouds near supernova remnants as sources of very-high-energy γ-ray emission

Supernova remnants accelerate particles up to energies of at least 100 TeV as established by observations in very-high-energy γ-ray astronomy. Molecular clouds in their vicinity provide an increased amount of target material for proton-proton interaction and subsequent neutral pion decay into γ-rays of accelerated hadrons escaping the remnant. Therefore, these molecular clouds are potential γ-ray sources. The γ-ray emission from these clouds provides a unique environment to derive information on the propagation of very-high-energy particles through the interstellar medium as well as on the acceleration of hadrons in supernova remnants. Current Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope systems are suitable to explore a large parameter space of the propagation properties depending on the age of the supernova remnant and the distance between the remnant and the nearby molecular cloud.In this paper we present our strategy and results of a systematic search for γ-ray emitting molecular clouds near supernova remnants which are potentially detectable with current experiments in the TeV energy range and explore the prospects of future experiments.     

Another view of nucleosynthetic radioactivity

We discuss the prospects for direct measurements of nucleosynthesis yields of electron capture decay radioactive nuclei from supernovae, by detecting the characteristic K X-rays of the daughters. Several isotopes in galactic supernova remnants and SN 1987A appear to be detectable now or in the near future. Precise measurements of these nuclear yields, mostly achievable no other way, would greatly constrain nucleosynthesis theory.     

Supernova remnants: the X-ray perspective

Supernova remnants are beautiful astronomical objects that are also of high scientific interest, because they provide insights into supernova explosion mechanisms, and because they are the likely sources of Galactic cosmic rays. X-ray observations are an important means to study these objects. And in particular the advances made in X-ray imaging spectroscopy over the last two decades has greatly increased our knowledge about supernova remnants. It has made it possible to map the products of fresh nucleosynthesis, and resulted in the identification of regions near shock fronts that emit X-ray synchrotron radiation. Since X-ray synchrotron radiation requires 10–100 TeV electrons, which lose their energies rapidly, the study of X-ray synchrotron radiation has revealed those regions where active and rapid particle acceleration is taking place.     

No detectable supernova remnant near the pulsar PSR 1930 + 22

No supernova remnant has been found near the third youngest pulsar PSR 1930+22 down to a -limiting brightness temperature of 1·4 K at 610 MHz. This is 6–8 times less than expected of a typical remnant whose age is that of the pulsar (3·60×10⁴ years).     

Prospects for detecting light echoes of galactic supernovae by wide-angle polarimetry

We propose to use a global (wide-angle, of the order of several degrees) distribution of linearly polarized emission over the sky to detect light echoes of historical supernovae exploded in our Galaxy. The echo emission must be polarized tangential to the direction of the supernova explosion site, and its degree of polarization must exhibit a characteristic dependence on angular distance. The near infrared is an optimum spectral range for detection. A spotted structure in the shape of a ring ～5° in diameter and ～3° in width with a total brightness of ～12–13^m in polarized light with a tangential orientation of the electric vector must be currently seen in the direction where Tycho Brahe observed a supernova explosion in 1572. A comparison of the expected intensity of the echo with the intensities of the zodiacal light and the atmosphere shows that it can be detected in principle during long-term observations from space and, under favorable conditions, even from the ground.     

OH masers at 1612 and 1720 MHz in star-forming regions

Masers at the ground-state OH satellite transitions near 1612 and 1720 MHz are occasionally found in star-forming regions, accompanying the dominant maser of OH at 1665 MHz. The satellite lines can then be valuable diagnostics of physical conditions in star-forming regions if we can first ascertain that all maser species truly arise from the same site. For this purpose, newly measured satellite line positions with subarcsecond accuracy are reported here, and compared with masers of main-line OH at 1665 MHz, with methanol masers at 6668 MHz, and with ultracompact H  ii regions. We confirm that most of the satellite-line OH masers that we have measured are associated with star-forming regions, but a few are not: several 1612-MHz masers are associated with late-type stars, and one 1720-MHz maser is associated with a supernova remnant. The 1720-MHz masers in star-forming regions are accounted for by a pumping scheme requiring high densities, and are distinctly different from those in supernova remnants where the favoured pumping scheme operates at much lower densities.     

Penetration of nearby supernova dust in the inner solar system

We investigate the method by which nearby supernovae – within a few tens of pc of the solar system – can penetrate the solar system and deposit live radioactivities on earth. The radioactive isotopic signatures that could potentially leave an observable geological imprint are in the form of refractory metals; consequently, it is likely they would arrive in the form of supernova-produced dust grains. Such grains can penetrate into the solar system more easily than the bulk supernova plasma, which gets stalled and deflected near the solar system due to the solar wind plasma pressure. We therefore examine the motion of charged grains as they decouple from the supernova plasma and are influenced by the solar magnetic, radiation, and gravitational fields. We characterize the dust trajectories with analytical approximations which display the roles of grain size, initial velocity, and surface voltage. These results are verified with full numerical simulations for wide ranges of dust properties. We find that supernova dust grains traverse the inner solar system nearly undeflected, if the incoming grain velocity – which we take to be that of the incident supernova remnant – is comparable to the solar wind speeds and much larger than the escape velocity at 1 AU. Consequently, the dust penetration to 1 AU has essentially 100% transmission probability and the dust capture onto the earth should have a geometric cross section. Our results cast in a new light the terrestrial deposition of radioisotopes from nearby supernovae in the geological past. For explosions beyond ～10 pc from earth, dust grains can still deliver supernova ejecta to earth, and thus the amount of supernova material deposited is set by the efficiency of dust condensation and survival in supernovae. Turning the problem around, we use observations of live ⁶⁰Fe in both deep-ocean and lunar samples to infer a conservative lower bound iron condensation efficiency of M_dust,Fe/M_tot,Fe ? 4  × 10^?4 for the supernova which apparently produced these species 2–3 Myr ago.     

On the relationship between pulsars and supernova remnants

We propose that single stars in the mass range 4–6·5M _⊙, that explode as Supernovae of Type I, are totally disrupted by the explosion and form shell-type remnants. More massive single stars which explode as Supernovae of Type II also give rise to shell-type remnants, but in this case a neutron star or a black hole is left behind. The first supernova explosion in a close binary also gives rise to a shell-type supernova remnant. The Crab-like filled-centre supernova remnants are formed by the second supernova explosion in a close binary. The hybrid supernova remnants, consisting of a filled centre surrounded by a shell, are formed if there is an active neutron star inside the shell.     

On the formation of a neutron star in a close binary system

The effects on a close binary system of one component becoming a neutron star as a result of a supernova explosion are discussed in this paper. In the case of a Type I supernova, the system can remain bound in many cases of interest. For a Type II supernova, the system will probably be disrupted although in some cases a remnant of the companion to the supernova may remain in a bound orbit.Consequently, neutron stars formed in Type I supernova explosions may exist in close binary systems. Such systems may be strong X-ray emitters due to mass flow as suggested by Shklovsky. Photons with energies in the 1–50 MeV region should also be emitted.     

On the role of a supernova in the formation of the solar system

We consider four possible scenarios relating the proto-solar cloud to the “last-minute” supernova presumed responsible for the isotopic anomalies in Allende and other meteorites. The probability that a chance supernova occurred close enough to an already-collapsing proto-solar cloud to inject sufficient matter is extremely small, even if the Sun formed in a region of enhanced supernova activity such as Orion OB1. The ambient level of ²⁶Al inside a molecular cloud in Orion is also apparently too low to account for the meteorite data, unless the supernova ejecta accumulates at the edges of the cloud and star formation occurs there preferentially. Two modes of supernova-induced star formation are discussed. In one, the supernova shock collapses a preexisting cloud; in the other, stars form within the snowplow shell of the supernova. Canis Major R1 and Monoceros R1 are possible present-day examples of such star formation regions.     

Magnetorotational supernovae. Magnetorotational instability. Jet formation

2D numerical simulations of magnetorotational (MR) supernova mechanism are described. It is shown that magnetic field is amplified due to the differential rotation after core collapse. When magnetic pressure reaches some level, a compression wave starts to move outwards. Moving along steeply decreasing density profile the compression wave transforms quickly into fast MHD shock. The magnetorotational instability (MRI) was found in our simulations. MRI leads to the exponential growth of the components of the magnetic field. The MRI significantly reduces MR supernova explosion time. Configuration of the initial magnetic field qualitatively defines the shape of MR supernova explosion. For the quadrupole-like initial poloidal field the MR supernova explosion develops mainly along equatorial plane, the dipole-like initial field results in MR supernova developing as mildly collimated jet along axis of rotation. The explosion energy of MR supernova found in our simulations is ∼0.5–0.6×10⁵¹ erg.     

Novel technique for supernova detection with IceCube

The current supernova detection technique used in IceCube relies on the sudden deviation of the summed photomultiplier noise rate from its nominal value during the neutrino burst, making IceCube a ≈3 Megaton effective detection volume - class supernova detector. While galactic supernovae can be resolved with this technique, the supernova neutrino emission spectrum remains unconstrained and thus presents a limited potential for the topics related to supernova core collapse models.The paper elaborates analytically on the capabilities of IceCube to detect supernovae through the analysis of hits in the detector correlated in space and time. These arise from supernova neutrinos interacting in the instrumented detector volume along single strings. Although the effective detection volume for such coincident hits is much smaller (?35 kton, about the scale of SuperK), a wealth of information is obtained due to the comparatively low rate of coincident noise hits. We demonstrate that a neutrino flux from a core collapse supernova will produce a signature enabling the resolution of rough spectral features and, in the case of a strong signal, providing indication on its location.We further discuss the enhanced potential of a rather modest detector extension, a denser array in the center of IceCube, within our one dimensional analytic calculation framework. Such an extension would enable the exploration of the neutrino sky above a few GeV and the detection of supernovae up to a few 100’s of kilo parsec. However, a 3-4 Mpc detection distance, necessary for routine supernova detection, demands a significant increase of the effective detection volume and can be obtained only with a more ambitious instrument, particularly the boosting of sensor parameters such as the quantum efficiency and light collection area.