Supernova Remnants (SNRs), Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe), and Associated Neutron Stars

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Supernova explosions are among the most energetic events in the universe creating fascinating objects, referred to as SuperNova Remnants (SNRs). They make the heavy elements essential for life on Earth. They are the factories for accelerating cosmic rays to extremely high (Tera-electronVolts) energies. Moreover, they give birth to some of the most exotic and magnetic objects in the universe (neutron stars and magnetars). As such, the study of SNRs and associated phenomena provides us with a nearby laboratory to study the physics in extreme conditions unattainable on Earth, and to probe the sites responsible for the recycling of both matter and energy in the universe. The proposed research program will be specifically targeted to study galactic SNRs, pulsar wind nebulae, and associated compact objects, using a multi-wavelength approach with focus on X-ray and radio data acquired with state-of-the-art international facilities. The proposal aims at addressing the following scientific goals: 1) unveiling the physics and nature of the ever-growing, yet converging, `zoo' of neutron stars and pulsar wind nebulae, their evolution and interaction with the interstellar medium; 2) shedding light on the progenitors and environment of the different classes of neutron stars associated with SNRs; and 3) studying the interplay between SNRs and their surrounding medium (molecular clouds and the magnetic field of our Galaxy). This program will primarily involve graduate students, in addition to undergraduates, providing unique opportunities for them to conduct innovative and timely research in high-energy astrophysics, access state-of-the-art multi-wavelength data, including X-ray data acquired with NASA's Chandra and ESA's XMM-Newton data. The proposed program will also play a key role in helping highly qualified personnel develop local, national and international collaborations investigating SNRs from radio to the highest-energy gamma-rays. The upcoming launch of the international ASTRO-H X-ray satellite, led by Japan and that the U. of Manitoba has recently joined thanks to Canadian Space Agency's involvement, will particularly open a new discovery window to the high-energy universe. ASTRO-H's unprecedented spectral resolution with the Soft X-ray Spectrometer, combined with its unique broadband coverage (0.5-600 keV), will be instrumental to studying both the thermal and non-thermal emission from SNRs and associated compact objects. ASTRO-H will therefore address long-standing, decades-old, puzzles in the field including: the lack of thermal emission from synchrotron-dominated SNRs, the link between supernova progenitors and the observed diversity of neutron stars, and the nature of a growing class of 'mixed-morphology' SNRs and the physics of their interaction with the interstellar medium and ambient magnetic field. While the focus is on X-ray data, the proposed program will also make use of multi-wavelength data including: in the radio regime data acquired with Arecibo, the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world, in sub-millimetre data acquired with the James Clark Maxwell Telescope located in Hawaii, and in the gamma-ray regime data acquired with the High-Energy Stereoscopic System of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes that investigates astrophysical sources at extreme energies. The proposed program naturally builds on the fast-growing SNRs group that I have established in recent years at the U. of Manitoba, comprising a diverse team of observers and theorists. In the more long-term, the proposed research will unveil the physics behind the different manifestations of the remnants of supernovae, and the interplay between SNRs, the ISM and cosmic magnetism: drivers for upcoming facilities across the electromagnetic spectrum.