Evidence for a shock-compressed magnetic field in the northwestern rim of Vela Jr. from X-ray polarimetry

Kavli Affiliate: Nicola Omodei

| First 5 Authors: Dmitry A. Prokhorov, Yi-Jung Yang, Riccardo Ferrazzoli, Jacco Vink, Patrick Slane

| Summary:

Synchrotron X-ray emission has been detected from nearly a dozen young
supernova remnants (SNRs). X-rays of synchrotron origin exhibit linear
polarization in a regular, non-randomly oriented magnetic field. The
significant polarized X-ray emission from four such SNRs has already been
reported on the basis of observations with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry
Explorer (IXPE). The magnetic-field structure as derived from IXPE observations
is radial for Cassiopeia A, Tycho’s SNR, and SN 1006, and tangential for RX
J1713.7-3946. The latter together with the recent detection of a tangential
magnetic field in SNR 1E 0102.2-7219 by the Australia Telescope Compact Array
in the radio band shows that tangential magnetic fields can also be present in
young SNRs. Thus, the dichotomy in polarization between young and middle-aged
SNRs (radial magnetic fields in young SNRs, but tangential magnetic fields in
middle-aged SNRs), previously noticed in the radio band, deserves additional
attention. The present analysis of IXPE observations determines, for the first
time, a magnetic-field structure in the northwestern rim of Vela Jr, also known
as RX J0852.0-4622, and provides a new example of a young SNR with a tangential
magnetic field.

| Search Query: ArXiv Query: search_query=au:”Nicola Omodei”&id_list=&start=0&max_results=3

Read More