The most complete and detailed X-ray view of the SNR Puppis A^⋆

¹ Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio (IAFE), UBA-CONICET, CC 67, Suc. 28, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
e-mail: gdubner@iafe.uba.ar
² XMM-Newton Science Operations Centre, ESAC, Villafranca del Castillo, 28080 Madrid, Spain
³ ISDEFE, Calle de Beatriz, 3, 28040 Madrid, Spain
⁴ Telespazio Vega U.K. S.L.  
⁵ FADU, University of Buenos Aires, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina

Received: 4 March 2013
Accepted: 29 April 2013

Abstract

Aims. With the purpose of producing the first detailed full view of Puppis A in X-rays, we carried out new XMM-Newton observations covering the missing regions in the southern half of the supernova remnant (SNR) and combined them with existing XMM-Newton and Chandra data.

Methods. Two pointings toward the south and southwest of Puppis A were observed with XMM-Newton. We combined these data with archival XMM-Newton and Chandra data and produced images in the 0.3−0.7, 0.7−1.0, and 1.0−8.0 energy bands.

Results. We present the first sensitive complete X-ray image of Puppis A. We investigated its morphology in detail, carried out a multiwavelength analysis, and estimated the flux density and luminosity of the whole SNR. The complex structure observed across the remnant confirms that Puppis A evolves in an inhomogeneous, probably knotty interstellar medium. The southwestern corner includes filaments that perfectly correlate with radio features suggested to be associated with shock/cloud interaction. In the northern half of Puppis A the comparison with Spitzer infrared images shows an excellent correspondence between X-rays and 24 and 70 μm emission features, while to the south there are some matched and other unmatched features. X-ray flux densities of 12.6 × 10^-9,6.2 × 10^-9, and 2.8 × 10^-9 erg cm^-2 s^-1 were derived for the 0.3−0.7, 0.7−1.0, and 1.0−8.0 keV bands, respectively. At the assumed distance of 2.2 kpc, the total X-ray luminosity between 0.3 and 8.0 keV is 1.2 × 10³⁷ erg s^-1. We also collected and updated the broad-band data of Puppis A between radio and GeV γ-ray range, producing its spectral energy distribution. To provide constraints to the high-energy emission models, we re-analyzed radio data, estimating the energy content in accelerated particles to be U_min = 4.8 × 10⁴⁹ erg and the magnetic field strength B ~ 26 μG.