arXiv subjects

Ivo R. Seitenzahl

Publications and source records attributed to Ivo R. Seitenzahl.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Rapid Expansion of the Young Type Ia Supernova Remnant 0519-69.0: More Evidence for a Circumstellar Shell

The nature of Type Ia supernovae remains controversial. The youngest remnants of Ia supernovae hold clues to the explosion and to the immediate surroundings. We present a third epoch of Chandra observations of the $\sim600$-year-old Type Ia remnant 0519-69.0 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, extending the time baseline to 21 years from the initial 2000 observations. We find rapid expansion of X-ray emitting material, with an average velocity of 4760 km s$^{-1}$. At the distance of the LMC this corresponds to an undecelerated age of 750 years, with the true age somewhat smaller. We also find that the bright ring of emission has expanded by 1.3\%, corresponding to a velocity of 1900 km s$^{-1}$ and an undecelerated age of 1600 years. The high velocity of the peripheral X-rays, contrasted with the modest expansion of the main X-ray shell, provides further evidence for a massive shell of circumstellar material.

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arXiv2023

A Spectral Classification System for Hydrogen-deficient Carbon Stars

Stellar spectral classification has been highly useful in the study of stars. While there is a currently accepted spectral classification system for carbon stars, the subset of Hydrogen-deficient Carbon (HdC) stars has not been well described by such a system, due predominantly to their rarity and their variability. Here we present the first system for the classification of HdCs based on their spectra, which is made wholly on their observable appearance. We use a combination of dimensionality reduction and clustering algorithms with human classification to create such a system with eight total classes corresponding to temperature, and an additional second axis corresponding to the carbon molecular band strength. We classify over half of the known sample of HdC stars using this, and roughly calibrate the temperatures of each class using their colors. Additionally, we express trends in the occurrence of certain spectral peculiarities such as the presence of Hydrogen and Lithium lines. We also present three previously unpublished spectra, report the discovery of two new Galactic dustless HdC (dLHdC) stars and additionally discuss one especially unique star that appears to border between the hottest HdCs and the coolest Extreme Helium (EHe) stars.

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arXiv2022

An X-ray Proper Motion Study of the LMC SNR 0509-67.5

We present a third epoch of Chandra observations of the Type Ia Large Magellanic Cloud Supernova remnant (SNR) 0509-67.5. With these new observations from 2020, the baseline for proper motion measurements of the expansion has grown to 20 years (from the earliest Chandra observations in 2000). We report here the results of these new expansion measurements. The lack of nearby bright point sources renders absolute image alignment difficult. However, we are able to measure the average expansion of the diameter of the remnant along several projection directions. We find that the remnant is expanding with an average velocity of 6120 (4900 -- 7360) km s$^{-1}$. This high shock velocity is consistent with previous works, and also consistent with the inference that 0509-67.5 is expanding into a very low density surrounding medium. At the distance of the LMC, this velocity corresponds to an undecelerated age of 600 yrs, with the real age somewhat smaller.

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arXiv2022

Evidence for a Dense, Inhomogeneous Circumstellar Medium in the Type Ia SNR 0519-69.0

We perform an expansion study of the Balmer dominated outer shock of the SNR 0519$-$69.0 in the LMC by using a combination of new HST WFC3 imagery obtained in 2020 and archival ACS images from 2010 and 2011. Thanks to the very long time baseline, our proper motion measurements are of unprecedented accuracy. We find a wide range of shock velocities, with the fastest shocks averaging 5280 km/s and the slowest grouping of shocks averaging just 1670 km/s. We compare the H_alpha images from HST with X-ray images from Chandra and mid-IR images from Spitzer, finding a clear anti-correlation between the brightness of the remnant in a particular location and the velocity of the blast wave at that location, supporting the idea that the bright knots of X-ray and IR emission result from an interaction with a dense inhomogeneous circumstellar medium. We find no evidence for X-ray emission, thermal or nonthermal, associated with the fastest shocks, as expected if the fastest velocities are the result of the blast wave encountering the lower density ambient medium of the LMC. We derive an age of the remnant of 670 +/- 70 yr, consistent with results derived from previous investigations.

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arXiv2022

Modelling the ionisation state of Type Ia supernovae in the nebular-phase

The nebular spectra of Type Ia supernovae ($\gtrapprox$ 100 days after explosion) consist mainly of emission lines from singly- and doubly-ionised Fe-group nuclei. However, theoretical models for many scenarios predict that non-thermal ionisation leads to multiply-ionised species whose recombination photons ionise and deplete Fe$^{+}$ , resulting in negligible [Fe II] emission. We investigate a method to determine the collisional excitation conditions from [Fe II] line ratios independently from the ionisation state and find that it cannot be applied to highly-ionised models due to the influence of recombination cascades on Fe$^{+}$ level populations. When the ionisation state is artificially lowered, the line ratios (and excitation conditions) are too similar to distinguish between explosion scenarios. We investigate changes to the treatment of non-thermal energy deposition as a way to reconcile over-ionised theoretical models with observations and find that a simple work function approximation provides closer agreement with the data for sub-Mch models than a detailed Spencer-Fano treatment with widely-used cross section data. To quantify the magnitude of additional heating processes that would be required to sufficiently reduce ionisation from fast leptons, we artificially boost the rate of energy loss to free electrons. We find that the equivalent of as much as an eight times increase to the plasma loss rate would be needed to reconcile the sub-Mch model with observed spectra. Future studies could distinguish between reductions in the non-thermal ionisation rates and increased recombination rates, such as by clumping.

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arXiv2022

Locating the CSM Emission within the Type Ia Supernova Remnant N103B

We present results from deep Chandra observations of the young Type Ia supernova remnant (SNR) 0509-68.7, also known as N103B, located in the Large Magellanic cloud (LMC). The remnant displays an asymmetry in brightness, with the western hemisphere appearing significantly brighter than the eastern half. Previous multi-wavelength observations have attributed the difference to a density gradient and suggested circumstellar material origins, drawing similarities to Kepler's SNR. We apply a clustering technique combined with traditional imaging analysis to spatially locate various emission components within the remnant. We find that O and Mg emission is strongest along the blast wave, and coincides with Spitzer observations of dust emission and optical emission from the non-radiative shocks. The abundances of O and Mg in these regions are enhanced relative to the average LMC abundances and appear as a distinct spatial distribution compared to the ejecta products, supporting the circumstellar medium (CSM) interpretation. We also find that the spatial distribution of Cr is identical to that of Fe in the interior of the remnant, and does not coincide at all with the O and Mg emission.

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arXiv2021

Searching for Surviving Companion in the Young SMC Supernova Remnant 1E 0102.2-7219

1E 0102.2--7219 (hereafter E0102) is a young supernova remnant (SNR) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). It contains oxygen-rich SN ejecta, a possible neutron star (NS), and a small amount of fast-moving H-rich ejecta material. These properties are also seen in Cas A, it has thus been suggested that E0102 is also a Type IIb SNR, whose SN progenitor's hydrogen envelope was stripped off possibly via interactions with a companion star. To search for a surviving companion of E0102's SN progenitor, we have used archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) continuum images to make photometric measurements of stars projected in the SNR to construct color-magnitude diagrams and compare the stars with those expected from surviving companions of Type IIb SNe. We have also used the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer observations taken with the Very Large Telescope to perform spectroscopic analyses of stars and search for peculiar radial velocities as diagnostics of surviving companions. We further use the HST and Gaia data to inspect proper motions of stars for complementary kinetic studies. No plausible companion candidates are found if the SN explosion site was near the NS, while the B3 V star 34a may be a plausible companion candidate if the SN explosion site is near the SN ejecta's expansion center. If the NS is real and associated with E0102, it needs a ~1000 km/s runaway velocity, which has been observed in other SNRs and can be acquired from an asymmetric SN explosion or a kick by the SN explosion of a massive companion.

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arXiv2021

Forbidden Line Emission from Type Ia Supernova Remnants Containing Balmer-Dominated Shells

Balmer-dominated shells in supernova remnants (SNRs) are produced by collisionless shocks advancing into a partially neutral medium, and are most frequently associated with Type Ia supernovae. We have analyzed Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images and VLT/MUSE or AAT/WiFeS observations of five Type Ia SNRs containing Balmer-dominated shells in the LMC: 0509-67.5, 0519-69.0, N103B, DEM L71, and 0548-70.4. Contrary to expectations, we find bright forbidden line emission from small dense knots embedded in four of these SNRs. The electron densities in some knots are higher than 10$^4$ cm$^{-3}$. The size and density of these knots are not characteristic for interstellar medium (ISM) -- they most likely originate from a circumstellar medium (CSM) ejected by the SN progenitor. Physical property variations of dense knots in the SNRs appear to reflect an evolutionary effect. The recombination timescales for high densities are short, and HST images of N103B taken 3.5 yr apart already show brightness changes in some knots. VLT/MUSE observations detect [Fe XIV] line emission from reverse shocks into SN ejecta as well as forward shocks into the dense knots. Faint [O III] line emission is also detected from the Balmer shell in 0519-69.0, N103B, and DEM L71. We exclude the postshock origin because the [O III] line is narrow. For the preshock origin, we considered three possibilities: photoionization precursor, cosmic ray precursor, and neutral precursor. We conclude that the [O III] emission arises from oxygen that has been photoionized by [He II] $λ$304 photons and is then collisionally excited in a shock precursor heated mainly by cosmic rays.

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arXiv2021

First extragalactic measurement of the turbulence driving parameter: ALMA observations of the star-forming region N159E in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Studying the driving modes of turbulence is important for characterizing the impact of turbulence in various astrophysical environments. The driving mode of turbulence is parameterized by $b$, which relates the width of the gas density PDF to the turbulent Mach number; $b\approx 1/3$, $1$, and $0.4$ correspond to driving that is solenoidal, compressive, and a natural mixture of the two, respectively. In this work, we use high-resolution (sub-pc) ALMA $^{12}$CO ($J$ = $2-1$), $^{13}$CO ($J$ = $2-1$), and C$^{18}$O ($J$ = $2-1$) observations of filamentary molecular clouds in the star-forming region N159E (the Papillon Nebula) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) to provide the first measurement of turbulence driving parameter in an extragalactic region. We use a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) analysis of the CO isotopologues to construct a gas density PDF, which we find to be largely log-normal in shape with some intermittent features indicating deviations from lognormality. We find that the width of the log-normal part of the density PDF is comparable to the supersonic turbulent Mach number, resulting in $b \approx 0.9$. This implies that the driving mode of turbulence in N159E is primarily compressive. We speculate that the compressive turbulence could have been powered by gravo-turbulent fragmentation of the molecular gas, or due to compression powered by H I flows that led to the development of the molecular filaments observed by ALMA in the region. Our analysis can be easily applied to study the nature of turbulence driving in resolved star-forming regions in the local as well as the high-redshift Universe.

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arXiv2021

Type Ia Supernova Models: Asymmetric Remnants and Supernova Remnant G1.9+0.3

The youngest Galactic supernova remnant G1.9+0.3, probably the result of a Type Ia supernova, shows surprising anomalies in the distribution of its ejecta in space and velocity. In particular, high-velocity shocked iron is seen in several locations far from the remnant center, in some cases beyond prominent silicon and sulfur emission. These asymmetries strongly suggest a highly asymmetric explosion. We present high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations in two and three dimensions of the evolution from ages of 100 seconds to hundreds of years of two asymmetric Type Ia models, expanding into a uniform medium. At the age of G1.9+0.3 (about 100 years), our 2D model shows almost no iron shocked to become visible in X-rays. Only in a much higher-density environment could significant iron be shocked, at which time the model's expansion speed is completely inconsistent with the observations of G1.9+0.3. Our 3D model, evolving the most asymmetric of a suite of Type Ia SN models from Seitenzahl et al.~(2013), shows some features resembling G1.9+0.3. We characterize its evolution with images of composition in three classes: C and O, intermediate-mass elements (IMEs), and iron-group elements (IGEs). From ages of 13 to 1800 years, we follow the evolution of the highly asymmetric initial remnant as the explosion asymmetries decrease in relative strength to be replaced by asymmetries due to evolutionary hydrodynamic instabilities. At an age of about 100 years, our 3D model has comparable shocked masses of C+O, IMEs, and IGEs, with about 0.03 $M_\odot$ each. Evolutionary changes appear to be rapid enough that continued monitoring with the Chandra X-ray Observatory may show significant variations.

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arXiv2021

Prospects of direct detection of $^{48}$V gamma-rays from thermonuclear supernovae

Detection of gamma-rays emitted by radioactive isotopes synthesized in stellar explosions can give important insights into the processes that power transients such as supernovae, as well as providing a detailed census of the abundance of different isotope species relevant to the chemical evolution of the Universe. Observations of nearby supernovae have yielded observational proof that $^{57}$Co powered the late-time evolution of SN1987A's lightcurve, and conclusive evidence that $^{56}$Ni and its daughter nuclei power the light curves of Type Ia supernovae. In this paper we describe the prospects for detecting nuclear decay lines associated with the decay of $^{48}$V, the daughter nucleus of $^{48}$Cr, which is expected to be synthesised in large quantities - $M_{\mathrm{Cr}}\sim1.9\times10^{-2}\,\mathrm{M_\odot}$ - in transients initiated by explosive helium burning ($α$-capture) of a thick helium shell. We calculate emergent gamma-ray line fluxes for a simulated explosion model of a thermonuclear explosion of carbon-oxygen white dwarf core of mass $0.45\,M_{\odot}$ surrounded by a thick helium layer of mass $0.21\,M_{\odot}$. We present observational limits on the presence of $^{48}$V in nearby SNe Ia 2014J using the \textit{INTEGRAL} space telescope, excluding a $^{48}$Cr production on the surface of more than $0.1\,\mathrm{M_{\odot}}$. We find that the future gamma-ray mission AMEGO will have an approximately 5 per cent chance of observing $^{48}$V gamma-rays from such events during the currently-planned operational lifetime, based on our birthrate predictions of faint thermonuclear transients. We describe the conditions for a $3σ$ detection by the gamma-ray telescopes \textit{INTEGRAL}/SPI, COSI and AMEGO.

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arXiv2021

Metallicity-dependent nucleosynthetic yields of Type Ia supernovae originating from double detonations of sub-M$_{\text{Ch}}$ white dwarfs

Double detonations in sub-Chandrasekhar mass carbon-oxygen white dwarfs with helium shell are a potential explosion mechanism for a Type Ia supernova (SNe Ia). It comprises a shell detonation and subsequent core detonation. The focus of our study is on the effect of the progenitor metallicity on the nucleosynthetic yields. For this, we compute and analyse a set of eleven different models with varying core and shell masses at four different metallicities each. This results in a total of 44 models at metallicities between 0.01$Z_\odot$ and 3$Z_\odot$. Our models show a strong impact of the metallicity in the high density regime. The presence of $^{22}$Ne causes a neutron-excess which shifts the production from $^{56}$Ni to stable isotopes such as $^{54}$Fe and $^{58}$Ni in the $α$-rich freeze-out regime. The isotopes of the metallicity implementation further serve as seed nuclei for additional reactions in the shell detonation. Most significantly, the production of $^{55}$Mn increases with metallicity confirming the results of previous work. A comparison of elemental ratios relative to iron shows a relatively good match to solar values for some models. Super-solar values are reached for Mn at 3$Z_\odot$ and solar values in some models at $Z_\odot$. This indicates that the required contribution of SNe Ia originating from Chandrasekhar mass WDs can be lower than estimated in orevious work to reach solar values of [Mn/Fe] at [Fe/H]$=0$. Our galactic chemical evolution models suggest that SNe Ia from sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs, along with core-collapse supernovae, could account for more than 80% of the solar Mn abundance. Using metallicity-dependent SN Ia yields helps to reproduce the upward trend of [Mn/Fe] as a function of metallicity for the solar neighborhood. These chemical evolution predictions, however, depend on the massive star yields adopted in the calculations.

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arXiv2020

From supernova to supernova remnant: comparison of thermonuclear explosion models

Progress in the three-dimensional modeling of supernovae (SN) prompts us to revisit the supernova remnant (SNR) phase. We continue our study of the imprint of a thermonuclear explosion on the SNR it produces, that we started with a delayed-detonation model of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf. Here we compare two different types of explosion models, each with two variants: two delayed detonation models (N100ddt, N5ddt) and two pure deflagration models (N100def, N5def), where the N number parametrizes the ignition. The output of each SN simulation is used as input of a SNR simulation carried on until 500 yr after the explosion. While all SNR models become more spherical over time and overall display the theoretical structure expected for a young SNR, clear differences are visible amongst the models, depending on the geometry of the ignition and on the presence or not of detonation fronts. Compared to N100 models, N5 models have a strong dipole component, and produce asymmetric remnants. N5def produces a regular-looking, but offset remnant, while N5ddt produces a two-sided remnant. Pure deflagration models exhibit specific traits: a central over-density, because of the incomplete explosion, and a network of seam lines across the surface, boundaries between burning cells. Signatures from the SN dominate the morphology of the SNR up to 100 yr to 300 yr after the explosion, depending on the model, and are still measurable at 500 yr, which may provide a way of testing explosion models.

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arXiv2020

New Optically Identified Supernova Remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present a new optical sample of three Supernova Remnants and 16 Supernova Remnant (SNR) candidates in the Large Magellanic Cloud(LMC). These objects were originally selected using deep H$α$, [SII] and [OIII] narrow-band imaging. Most of the newly found objects are located in less dense regions, near or around the edges of the LMC's main body. Together with previously suggested MCSNR J0541-6659, we confirm the SNR nature for two additional new objects: MCSNR J0522-6740 and MCSNRJ0542-7104. Spectroscopic follow-up observations for 12 of the LMC objects confirm high [SII]/H$α$ a emission-line ratios ranging from 0.5 to 1.1. We consider the candidate J0509-6402 to be a special example of the remnant of a possible Type Ia Supernova which is situated some 2$^\circ$ ($\sim 1.75$kpc) north from the main body of the LMC. We also find that the SNR candidates in our sample are significantly larger in size than the currently known LMC SNRs by a factor of $\sim 2$. This could potentially imply that we are discovering a previously unknown but predicted, older class of large LMC SNRs that are only visible optically. Finally, we suggest that most of these LMC SNRs are residing in a very rarefied environment towards the end of their evolutionary span where they become less visible to radio and X-ray telescopes.

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arXiv2020

Manganese Indicates a Transition from Sub- to Near-Chandrasekhar Type Ia Supernovae in Dwarf Galaxies

Manganese (Mn) abundances are sensitive probes of the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe). In this work, we present a catalog of manganese abundances in dwarf spheroidal satellites of the Milky Way, measured using medium-resolution spectroscopy. Using a simple chemical evolution model, we infer the manganese yield of Type Ia SNe in the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) and compare to theoretical yields. The sub-solar yield from Type Ia SNe ($\mathrm{[Mn/Fe]}_{\mathrm{Ia}}=-0.30_{-0.03}^{+0.03}$ at $\mathrm{[Fe/H]}=-1.5$ dex, with negligible dependence on metallicity) implies that sub-Chandrasekhar-mass (sub-$M_{\mathrm{Ch}}$) white dwarf progenitors are the dominant channel of Type Ia SNe at early times in this galaxy, although some fraction ($\gtrsim20\%$) of $M_{\mathrm{Ch}}$ Type Ia or Type Iax SNe are still needed to produce the observed yield. However, this result does not hold in all environments. In particular, we find that dSph galaxies with extended star formation histories (Leo I, Fornax dSphs) appear to have higher [Mn/Fe] at a given metallicity than galaxies with early bursts of star formation (Sculptor dSph), suggesting that $M_{\mathrm{Ch}}$ progenitors may become the dominant channel of Type Ia SNe at later times in a galaxy's chemical evolution.

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arXiv2020

SNe Ia from double detonations: Impact of core-shell mixing on the carbon ignition mechanism

Sub-Chandrasekhar mass white dwarfs accreting a helium shell on a carbon-oxygen core are potential progenitors of normal Type Ia supernovae. This work focuses on the details of the onset of the carbon detonation in the double detonation sub-Chandrasekhar model. In order to simulate the influence of core-shell mixing on the carbon ignition mechanism, the helium shell and its detonation are followed with an increased resolution compared to the rest of the star treating the propagation of the detonation wave more accurately. This significantly improves the predictions of the nucleosynthetic yields from the helium burning. The simulations were carried out with the AREPO code. A carbon-oxygen core with a helium shell was set up in one dimension and mapped to three dimensions. We ensured the stability of the white dwarf with a relaxation step before the hydrodynamic detonation simulation started. Synthetic observables were calculated with the radiative transfer code ARTIS. An ignition mechanism of the carbon detonation was observed, which received little attention before. In this "scissors mechanism", the impact the helium detonation wave has on unburnt material when converging opposite to its ignition spot is strong enough to ignite a carbon detonation. This is possible in a carbon enriched transition region between the core and shell. The detonation mechanism is found to be sensitive to details of the core-shell transition and our models illustrate the need to consider core-shell mixing taking place during the accretion process. Even though the detonation ignition mechanism differs form the converging shock mechanism, the differences in the synthetic observables are not significant. Though they do not fit observations better than previous simulations, they illustrate the need for multi-dimensional simulations.

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arXiv2019

A year-long plateau in the late-time near-infrared light curves of Type Ia supernovae

The light curves of Type Ia supernovae are routinely used to constrain cosmology models. Driven by radioactive decay of 56Ni, the light curves steadily decline over time, but >150 days past explosion, the near-infrared portion is poorly characterized. We report a year-long plateau in the near-infrared light curve at 150-500 days, followed by a second decline phase accompanied by a possible appearance of [Fe I] emission lines. This near-infrared plateau contrasts sharply with Type IIP plateaus and requires a new physical mechanism. We suggest a such as masking of the "near-infrared catastrophe," a predicted yet unobserved sharp light-curve decline, by scattering of ultraviolet photons to longer wavelengths. The transition off the plateau could be due to a change in the dominant ionization state of the supernova ejecta. Our results shed new light on the complex radiative transfer processes that take place in Type Ia supernovae and enhance their use as "standard candles."

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arXiv2019

Optical tomography of chemical elements synthesized in Type Ia supernovae

We report the discovery of optical emission from the non-radiative shocked ejecta of three young Type Ia supernova remnants (SNRs): SNR 0519-69.0, SNR 0509-67.5, and N103B. Deep integral field spectroscopic observations reveal broad and spatially resolved [Fe XIV] 5303Å emission. The width of the broad line reveals, for the first time, the reverse shock speeds. For two of the remnants we can constrain the underlying supernova explosions with evolutionary models. SNR 0519-69.0 is well explained by a standard near-Chandrasekhar mass explosion, whereas for SNR 0509-67.5 our analysis suggests an energetic sub-Chandrasekhar mass explosion. With [S XII], [Fe IX], and [Fe XV] also detected, we can uniquely visualize different layers of the explosion. We refer to this new analysis technique as "supernova remnant tomography".

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