IAR   05382
INSTITUTO ARGENTINO DE RADIOASTRONOMIA
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
An X-ray study of the SNR G344.7-0.1 and the central object CXOU J170357.8-414302
Autor/es:
COMBI, J. A.; ALBACETE COLOMBO, J. F.; LÓPEZ-SANTIAGO, J.; ROMERO, G. E.; SÁNCHEZ-AYASO, E.; MARTÍ, J.; LUQUE-ESCAMILLA, L. P.; PÉREZ-GONZÁLEZ, P. G.; MUÑOZ-ARJONILLA, A.J.; SÁNCHEZ-SUTIL, J.R.
Revista:
ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
Editorial:
EDP SCIENCES S A
Referencias:
Año: 2010 vol. 522 p. 50 - 58
ISSN:
0004-6361
Resumen:
Aims: We report results of an X-ray study of the supernova
remnant (SNR) G344.7-0.1 and the point-like X-ray source located at the
geometrical center of the SNR radio structure. Methods: The
morphology and spectral properties of the remnant and the central X-ray
point-like source were studied using data from the XMM-Newton and
Chandra satellites. Archival radio data and infrared Spitzer
observations at 8 and 24 μm were used to compare and study its
multi-band properties at different wavelengths. Results: The
XMM-Newton and Chandra observations reveal that the overall X-ray
emission of G344.7-0.1 is extended and correlates very well with regions
of bright radio and infrared emission. The X-ray spectrum is dominated
by prominent atomic emission lines. These characteristics suggest that
the X-ray emission originated in a thin thermal plasma, whose radiation
is represented well by a plane-parallel shock plasma model (PSHOCK). Our
study favors the scenario in which G344.7-0.1 is a 6 ×
103 year old SNR expanding in a medium with a high density
gradient and is most likely encountering a molecular cloud on the
western side. In addition, we report the discovery of a soft point-like
X-ray source located at the geometrical center of the radio SNR
structure. The object presents some characteristics of the so-called
compact central objects (CCO). However, its neutral hydrogen absorption
column (NH) is inconsistent with that of the SNR. Coincident
with the position of the source, we found infrared and optical objects
with typical early-K star characteristics. The X-ray source may be a
foreground star or the CCO associated with the SNR. If this latter
possibility were confirmed, the point-like source would be the farthest
CCO detected so far and the eighth member of the new population of
isolated and weakly magnetized neutron stars.