Letter to the Editor

Discovery of thermal X-ray emission in the supernova remnant G337.8-0.1 (Kes 41)

¹ Departamento de Física (EPS), Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas s/n, A3, 23071 Jaén, Spain e-mail: [jcombi;jmarti]@ujaen.es
² Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque, B1900FWA La Plata, Argentina
³ Centro Universitario Regional Zona Atlántica (CURZA). Universidad Nacional del COMAHUE, Monseñor Esandi y Ayacucho (8500), Viedma (Rio Negro), Argentina e-mail: donfaca@gmail.com

Received: 12 June 2008
Accepted: 14 July 2008

Abstract

Aims. We report here on the first detection at X-ray wavelengths of the Supernova Remnant (SNR) G337.8-0.1, carried out with the XMM-Newton Observatory.

Methods. Using the X-ray observations, we studied the X-ray morphology of the remnant at different energy ranges, analysed the spectral properties and investigated a possible variable behavior.

Results. The SNR shows a diffuse filled-center structure in the X-ray region with an absence of a compact source in its center. We find a high column density of N_H > 6.9 10²² cm^-2, which supports a relatively distant location (d ≥ 7 kpc). The X-ray spectrum exhibits emission lines, indicating that the X-ray emission has a thin thermal plasma origin, and is well represented by a non-equilibrium ionization (NEI) plasma model. The X-ray characteristics and well-known radio parameters show that G337.8-0.1 belongs to the emerging class of mixed-morphology (MM) SNRs.