Highlights on the interaction between SNRs and the surrounding medium

ESTELA MARTA REYNOSO

San Juan

Congreso; 54 Reunión de la AAA y IX Reunión de la SOCHIAS; 2011

When a star explodes as a supernova (SN), about 1051 ergs of energy are released in the interstellar medium (ISM). Most SN outbursts occur near or inside the molecular clouds were their pogenitor stars were born. An increasing number of SN remnants (SNRs) show signatures of being interacting with neighbouring clouds. Understanding such interactions is crucial both to determine the physical and dynamical conditions and structure of the ISM and to learn about the physical processes that take place in an SNR shock front. Even if molecular clouds are absent, pre-existing magnetic fields can play a key role on the morphology of an SNR. In this paper I review some recent results on the interplay between Galactic SNRs and their surroundings.