CHANDRA OBSERVATIONS OF SN 1987A: THE SOFT X-RAY LIGHT CURVE REVISITED

Author(s)
Helder, E. A.; Broos, P. S.; Dewey, Dan; Dwek, E.; McCray, Richard; ... Show more
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Abstract
We report on the present stage of SN 1987A as observed by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. We reanalyze published Chandra observations and add three more epochs of Chandra data to get a consistent picture of the evolution of the X-ray fluxes in several energy bands. We discuss the implications of several calibration issues for Chandra data. Using the most recent Chandra calibration files, we find that the 0.5-2.0 keV band fluxes of SN 1987A have increased by ~6 × 10[superscript –13] erg s[superscript –1[ cm[superscript –2] per year since 2009. This is in contrast with our previous result that the 0.5-2.0 keV light curve showed a sudden flattening in 2009. Based on our new analysis, we conclude that the forward shock is still in full interaction with the equatorial ring.
Date issued
2013-02
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/94522
Department
MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research
Journal
Astrophysical Journal
Publisher
Institute of Physics/American Astronomical Society
Citation
Helder, E. A., P. S. Broos, D. Dewey, E. Dwek, R. McCray, S. Park, J. L. Racusin, S. A. Zhekov, and D. N. Burrows. “ CHANDRA OBSERVATIONS OF SN 1987A: THE SOFT X-RAY LIGHT CURVE REVISITED .” The Astrophysical Journal 764, no. 1 (January 21, 2013): 11. © 2013 American Astronomical Society.
Version: Final published version
ISSN
0004-637X
1538-4357
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