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Dynamical Evolution and Radiative Processes of Supernova Remnants

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Handbook of Supernovae

Abstract

I outline the dynamical evolution of the shell remnants of supernovae (SNRs), from initial interaction of supernova ejecta with circumstellar material (CSM) through to the final dissolution of the remnant into the interstellar medium (ISM). Supernova ejecta drive a blast wave through any CSM from the progenitor system; as material is swept up, a reverse shock forms in the ejecta, reheating them. This ejecta-driven phase lasts until ten or more times the ejected mass is swept up, and the remnant approaches the Sedov or self-similar evolutionary phase. The evolution to this time is approximately adiabatic. Eventually, as the blast wave slows, the remnant age approaches the cooling time for immediate post-shock gas, and the shock becomes radiative and highly compressive. Eventually the shock speed drops below the local ISM sound speed, and the remnant dissipates. I then review the various processes by which remnants radiate. At early times, during the adiabatic phases, thermal X-rays and nonthermal radio, X-ray, and gamma ray emission dominate, while optical emission is faint and confined to a few strong lines of hydrogen and perhaps helium. Once the shock is radiative, prominent optical and infrared emission is produced. Young remnants are profoundly affected by interaction with often anisotropic CSM, while even mature remnants can still show evidence of ejecta.

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful for discussions with many colleagues over many years, among whom Roger Chevalier, Kazimierz Borkowski, John Blondin, and Roger Blandford are particularly prominent. I am pleased to acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration for research support over the last 30 years.

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  1. Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, 27695-8202, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Stephen P. Reynolds

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  1. Stephen P. Reynolds
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Correspondence to Stephen P. Reynolds .

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  1. University of London Observatory, Mill Hill, United Kingdom

    Athem W. Alsabti

  2. Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Paul Murdin

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Reynolds, S.P. (2016). Dynamical Evolution and Radiative Processes of Supernova Remnants. In: Alsabti, A., Murdin, P. (eds) Handbook of Supernovae. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20794-0_89-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20794-0_89-1

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