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

超新星遗迹 (SNR)、脉冲星风星云 (PWNe) 和伴生中子星

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-04439
• 负责人: SafiHarb, Samar
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of Manitoba
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=587810
• 关键词: Supernova; Remnants; SNRs; Pulsar; Wind

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.

超新星爆炸是宇宙中最具活力的事件之一，创造了迷人的物体，被称为超新星遗迹（SNRs）。它们使重元素成为地球上生命的必需品。它们是将宇宙射线加速到极高（太电子伏特）能量的工厂。 此外，它们还产生了宇宙中一些最奇特和磁性的物体（中子星和磁星）。因此，对信噪比和相关现象的研究为我们提供了一个就近的实验室，以研究地球上无法达到的极端条件下的物理学，并探测负责宇宙中物质和能量循环的地点。拟议的研究计划将专门针对研究银河系信噪比，脉冲星风星云和相关的紧凑物体，使用多波长方法，重点是用最先进的国际设施获得的X射线和无线电数据。该提案旨在实现以下科学目标：（1）揭示不断增长但不断汇聚的中子星和脉冲星风星云“动物园”的物理和性质，它们的演变及其与星际介质的相互作用;（2）揭示与超新星核反应有关的不同类别中子星的祖先和环境;研究SNRs与周围介质（分子云和银河系磁场）之间的相互作用。该计划将主要涉及研究生，除了本科生，为他们提供独特的机会，在高能天体物理学方面进行创新和及时的研究，访问最先进的多波长数据，包括NASA的Chandra和ESA的XMM-Newton数据获得的X射线数据。拟议的计划还将在帮助高素质人员发展地方、国家和国际合作方面发挥关键作用，调查从无线电到最高能量伽马射线的信噪比。由日本和美国牵头的国际ASTRO-H X射线卫星即将发射。由于加拿大航天局的参与，马尼托巴的科学家最近加入了该项目，这将特别为高能宇宙打开一扇新的发现窗口。ASTRO-H的软X射线光谱仪具有前所未有的光谱分辨率，加上其独特的宽带覆盖范围（0.5-600千电子伏），将有助于研究信噪比和相关致密物体的热发射和非热发射。因此，ASTRO-H将解决该领域长期存在的，数十年的难题，包括：缺乏同步加速器主导的SNRs的热发射，超新星祖先和中子星观察到的多样性之间的联系，以及越来越多的“混合形态”SNRs的性质及其与星际介质和环境磁场相互作用的物理学。虽然重点是X射线数据，但拟议的计划还将利用多波长数据，包括：在用世界上最大的单碟射电望远镜阿雷西博获得的射电状态数据中，在用位于夏威夷的詹姆斯克拉克麦克斯韦望远镜获得的亚毫米数据中，而在伽马射线体系中，能量立体成像系统大气切伦科夫望远镜，研究极端能量的天体物理来源。 这个计划自然是建立在我近年来在美国建立的快速发展的SNRs小组的基础上的。马尼托巴省，包括观察家和理论家的多元化团队。从更长远的角度来看，拟议的研究将揭示超新星遗迹不同表现背后的物理学，以及SNR，ISM和宇宙磁性之间的相互作用：整个电磁频谱即将到来的设施的驱动因素。