XMM-Newton observations of the supernova remnant RX J0852.0-4622/GRO J0852-4642
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, 85741 Garching, Germany e-mail: aiyudin@srd.sinp.msu.ru
Received:
3
August
2004
Accepted:
26
August
2004
RX J0852.0-4622 is a supernova remnant discovered in the ROSAT all-sky survey. Spatially coincident
1.157 MeV γ-ray line emission was detected with the COMPTEL instrument on-board
CGRO. The analysis combining the X-ray and γ-ray data suggests that RX J0852.0-4622 is a close-by and young
supernova remnant. Follow-up observations with ASCA show that the two brightest sections of the limb have
non-thermal spectra, which make an independent assessment of the age and distance using the Sedov equations
for the evolution of the remnant almost impossible. We have observed three rim sections
of RX J0852.0-4622 with
XMM-Newton and confirm the power-law type spectra measured with ASCA. We also confirm
the presence of an emission-line like feature at 
keV, which we suggest to be emission from Ti and Sc
excited by atom/ion or ion/ion high velocity collisions. The high velocity is in agreement with the
width of the 1.157 MeV γ-ray line. The X-ray line flux expected from such an interaction is consistent with
the 1.157 MeV γ-ray line flux measured
by COMPTEL. This consistency of the X-ray line flux and the γ-ray line flux
lends further support to the existence and amounts of Ti in RX J0852.0-4622 claimed by Iyudin et al. ([CITE], Nature, 396, 142) and to the suggestion
that RX J0852.0-4622 is young and nearby (Aschenbach et al. [CITE], A&A, 350, 997).
Iyudin et al. ([CITE]) quote a very large broadening of the 1.157 MeV γ-ray line which would indicate a large
velocity of the emitting matter of about 15 000 km s-1. Such high ejecta velocity for Ti is found only in explosion models of
sub-Chandrasekhar type Ia supernovae (Woosley & Weaver [CITE], ApJ, 423, 371; Livne & Arnett [CITE], ApJ, 452, 62).
In this case no compact remnant is expected. The obvious, remaining questions are what the nature and the origin of the
central compact source CXOU J085201.4-461753 are and why the absorption column density apparently associated with RX J0852.0-4622 is much
greater than the typical column for the Vela SNR.
Key words: nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances / stars: supernovae: general / ISM: individual objects: RX J0852.0-4622 / ISM: supernova remnants / gamma-rays: observations / X-rays: ISM
© ESO, 2005