Filamentary ejecta network in Cassiopeia A reveals fingerprints of the supernova explosion mechanism

¹ INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Piazza del Parlamento 1, 90134 Palermo, Italy
² Max–Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
³ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, 525 Northwestern Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
⁴ Dip. di Fisica e Chimica, E. Segré, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Piazza del Parlamento 1, 90134 Palermo, Italy
⁵ Princeton University, 4 Ivy Ln, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
⁶ Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 – S9, 9000 Gent, Belgium
⁷ Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

^★ Corresponding author; salvatore.orlando@inaf.it

Received: 21 January 2025
Accepted: 9 March 2025

Abstract

Context. Recent observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed unprecedented details of an intricate filamentary structure of unshocked ejecta within the young supernova remnant (SNR) Cassiopeia A (Cas A), offering new insights into the mechanisms governing supernova (SN) explosions and the subsequent evolution of ejecta.

Aims. We aim to investigate the origin and evolution of the newly discovered web-like network of ejecta filaments in Cas A. Our specific objectives are: (i) to characterize the three-dimensional (3D) structure and kinematics of the filamentary network and (ii) to identify the physical mechanisms responsible for its formation.

Methods. We performed high-resolution, 3D hydrodynamic (HD) and magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to model the evolution of a neutrino-driven SN from the explosion to its remnant with the age of 1000 years. The initial conditions, set shortly after the shock breakout at the stellar surface, are based on a 3D neutrino-driven SN model that closely matches the basic properties of Cas A.

Results. We found that the magnetic field has little impact on the evolution of unshocked ejecta, so we focused most of the analysis on the HD simulations. A web-like network of ejecta filaments, with structures compatible with those observed by JWST (down to scales ≈0.01 pc), naturally forms during the SN explosion. The filaments result from the combined effects of processes occurring soon after the core collapse, including the expansion of neutrino-heated bubbles formed within the first second after the explosion, hydrodynamic instabilities triggered during the blast propagation through the stellar interior, and the Ni-bubble effect following the shock breakout. The interaction of the reverse shock with the ejecta progressively disrupts the filaments through the growth of hydrodynamic instabilities. By around 700 years, the filamentary network becomes unobservable.

Conclusions. According to our models, the filaments observed by JWST in Cas A most likely preserve a “memory” of the early explosion conditions, reflecting the processes active during and immediately after the SN event. Notably, a filamentary network closely resembling that observed in Cas A is naturally produced by a neutrino-driven SN explosion.