Astronomers using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) — a collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency — have observed X-ray emitting regions of Tycho’s supernova remnant (SNR) — the remnant of the historical supernova SN 1572, first recorded in November of that year and named after the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.
SN 1572, also known as the Tycho’s supernova or Tycho’s Nova, was discovered by Tycho Brahe in November 1572.
Modern astronomers know that the event was a Type Ia supernova, caused by the explosion of a white dwarf star.
The explosion spewed elements like silicon and iron into space at speeds of more than 5,000 km/s.
As with many supernova remnants, Tycho’s SNR glows brightly in X-ray light because shock waves generated by the explosion heat the debris up to millions of degrees.
In the new study, Dr. Riccardo Ferrazzoli from the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics and colleagues used IXPE to study polarized X-rays from Tycho’s SNR.
IXPE revealed, for the first time, the geometry of the magnetic fields close to the shock wave, which is still propagating from the initial explosion and forms a boundary around the ejected material.
Understanding the magnetic field geometry allows the scientists to further investigate how particles are accelerated there.
“As one of the so-called historical supernovae, Tycho was observed by humanity in the past, and had a lasting social and even artistic impact,” Dr. Ferrazzoli said.
“It’s exciting to be here, 450 years after its first appearance in the sky, to see this object again with new eyes and to learn from it.”
Measuring X-ray polarization tells astronomers the average direction and ordering of the magnetic field of light waves that make up X-rays from a high-energy source like Tycho’s SNR.
“The process by which a supernova remnant becomes a giant particle accelerator involves a delicate dance between order and chaos,” said Dr. Patrick Slane, a…
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