The hard X-ray emission from the complex SNR MSH 15-52 observed by BeppoSAX

¹ Istituto di Fisica Cosmica con Applicazioni all'Informatica, CNR, via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146 Palermo, Italy
² Dipartimento di Fisica Generale dell'Università, via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy
³ Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale, CNR, via Fosso del Cavaliere, 00113 Roma, Italy
⁴ Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino, Strada Osservatorio 20, 10025 Pino Torinese, Italy

Corresponding author: T. Mineo, mineo@ifcai.pa.cnr.it

Received: 8 August 2001
Accepted: 18 October 2001

Abstract

We present the results of a BeppoSAX observation of the Supernova Remnant MSH 15-52, associated with the pulsar PSR B1509-58, and discuss its main morphological and spectroscopic properties in the 1.6-200 keV energy range (MECS and PDS instruments). The two main structures of the remnant, the Southern Nebula, the plerion centered on the pulsar, and the Northern Nebula, are clearly visible in the MECS, with the former showing a much a harder spectrum. Furthermore, a diffuse extended emission surrounds the whole remnant up to ≈ from the center. Non-thermal flux is detected in the PDS up to 200 keV as well, and it appears that also in this energy range the emission is not concentrated in the central region around the pulsar. These data imply that the plerion extends up to a few tens of parsecs from the pulsar.