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E.J. Bubar (Appalachian State University), K.J. Borkowski, J.M. Blondin, S.P. Reynolds (North Carolina State University)
The explosion mechanisms for both thermonuclear and core-collapse supernova (SN) explosions are still poorly understood. Because the spatial structure of SN ejecta depends on the explosion mechanism, studies of ejecta in supernova remnants (SNRs) provide us with a unique opportunity to learn about the explosions themselves. We study ejecta spatial structure in 3-D hydrodynamical simulations of young SNRs with varying degrees of ejecta inhomogeneities, and with varying ejecta and ambient medium radial profiles. By means of Fourier analysis of the simulated SNR images we generate power spectra for these models as a function of position angle and radial distance from the SNR center. These theoretical power spectra provide us with a quantitative measure of the ejecta structure. This Fourier transform technique can also be applied to high-spatial resolution Chandra images of young SNRs. By comparing the observed and theoretical power spectra we may then infer the initial structure of SN ejecta. We apply this novel technique to the youngest galactic SNR Cassiopeia A.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.