Detection of Far-Infrared Water Vapor, Hydroxyl, and Carbon Monoxide Emissions from the Supernova Remnant 3C 391

The first complete far-infrared spectrum of T Tau has been obtained with the LWS spectrometer on-board the Infrared Space Observatory, which detected strong emission from high-J (J=14-25) CO, para- and ortho-H2O and OH transitions over the wavelength range from 40 to 190 micron. Most of the observed molecular emission can be explained by a single emission region at T~300-900 K and n(H_2)~10^(5-6) cm^(-3),with a diameter of about 2-3 arcsec. This corresponds to a very compact ...

We present near-infrared J (1.25um), H (1.65um), and Ks (2.17um) imaging of the entire supernova remnant IC 443 from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), and Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) LWS observations of [O I]. Near-infrared emission from IC 443 was detected in all three bands from most of the optically bright parts of the remnant, revealing a shell-like morphology, with bright Ks band emission along the southern ridge and bright J and H along the northeastern rim. T...

Supernovae constitute a critical source of energy input to the interstellar medium (ISM). In this short review, we focus on their latest phase of evolution, the supernova remnants (SNRs). We present observations of three old SNRs that have reached the phase where they interact with the ambient ISM: W28, IC443, and 3C391. We show that such objects make up clean laboratories to constrain the physical and chemical processes at work in molecular shock environments. Our studies su...

We present near- and mid-infrared observations on the shock-cloud interaction region in the northern part of the supernova remnant HB21, performed with the InfraRed Camera (IRC) aboard AKARI satellite and the Wide InfraRed Camera (WIRC) at the Palomar 5 m telescope. The IRC 7 um (S7), 11 um (S11), and 15 um (L15) band images and the WIRC H2 v = 1 -> 0 S(1) 2.12 um image show similar shock-cloud interaction features. We chose three representative regions, and analyzed their IR...

We report the detection of carbon monoxide (CO) emission from the young supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) at wavelengths corresponding to the fundamental vibrational mode at 4.65 micron. We obtained AKARI Infrared Camera spectra towards 4 positions which unambiguously reveal the broad characteristic CO ro-vibrational band profile. The observed positions include unshocked ejecta at the center, indicating that CO molecules form in the ejecta at an early phase. We extracted...

We have undertaken a study of radio and infrared molecular-line emission towards several SNRs in order to investigate molecular signatures of SNR shocks, and to test models for OH maser production in SNRs. Here we present results on G349.7+0.2.

Aims. The interaction of supernova remnants (SNRs) with molecular clouds gives rise to strong molecular emission in the far-IR and sub-mm wavelength regimes. The application of MHD shock models in the interpretation of this line emission can yield valuable information on the energetic and chemical impact of supernova remnants. Methods. New mapping observations with the APEX telescope in CO (3-2), (4-3), (6-5), (7-6) and 13CO (3-2) towards two regions in the supernova remnant ...

Dense, fast-moving ejecta knots in supernova remnants are prime sites for molecule and dust formation. We present SOFIA far-IR spectrometer FIFI-LS observations of CO-rich knots in Cas A which cover a ~1 square arc minute area of the northern shell, in the [O III] 52 and 88 micron and [O I] 63 micron lines. The FIFI-LS spectra reveal that the line profiles of [O III] and [O I] are similar to those of the Herschel PACS [O III] and CO lines. We find that the [O III] maps show v...

We present observations of molecular gas made with the 15-m James Clark Maxwell Telescope toward the sites of OH(1720 MHz) masers in three supernova remnants: W28, W44 and 3C391. Maps made in the 12CO J=3-2 line reveal that the OH masers are preferentially located along the edges of thin filaments or clumps of molecular gas. There is a strong correlation between the morphology of the molecular gas and the relativistic gas traced by synchrotron emission at centimeter wavelengt...

We present the results of VLA observations in the ground-state hydroxyl (OH) transition at 1720 MHz toward 20 supernova remnants (SNRs). We detect compact emission from four objects. For three of these objects (G32.8-0.1, G337.8-0.1, and G346.6-0.2), we argue that the emission results from masers which are shock-excited due to the interaction of the SNR and an adjacent molecular cloud. We observe a characteristic Zeeman profile in the Stokes V spectrum, which allows us to der...