3D Maps of the Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A

Abstract

We studied the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. A supernova remnant is the debris of a supernova – the explosive death of a star in one of the most energetic events in the universe. Studying the supernova remnant gives us insight into the exotic physics of the explosion itself as well as the physics of the material affected by the powerful shock waves. We are especially interested in particle acceleration – the acceleration of particles to near the speed of light by magnetic fields in the shock waves. One eventual goal of our work is to create 3-dimensional density and temperature maps of the supernova debris. This will allow us to compare the debris before and after encountering a shock wave and potentially detect, for the first time, the energy lost to accelerated particles at this type of shock wave.