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S. L. Finkelstein, J. A. Morse (Arizona State University), J. C. Green (University of Colorado, Boulder), COS Science Team
We present results from a proper-motion study of the young supernova remnant E0102-7219 (hereafter E0102) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). E0102 is a member of a class of objects known as oxygen-rich supernova remnants, due to the strong oxygen signatures seen in its spectra, and the absence of hydrogen and helium. Previous studies have inferred that the progenitor of E0102 was most likely a high-mass Wolf-Rayet star that underwent considerable mass loss prior to the supernova event. The ejecta from this supernova are fast-moving (V > 1000 km/s) and emit due to heating from the reverse shock. New optical images were obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in 2003. These were combined with data taken in 1995 from the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. Using these two epochs spaced ~ 9 years apart, we directly measure the expansion rate of this supernova remnant for the first time at visible wavelengths. Measuring the expansion rate allows us to determine how long ago the star exploded and where it was located. Because some theories suggest stellar explosions of this type may form a black hole, these results may bear on the location of the black hole, the progenitor's type, and the mass loss history prior to the supernova explosion.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.