Discovery of Outlying High-Velocity Oxygen-Rich Ejecta in Cassiopeia A

Abstract

Analysis of broadband HST ACS and WFPC2 images of the young Galactic supernova remnant Cassiopeia A reveals a far larger population of outlying, high-velocity knots of ejecta with a broader range of chemical properties than previously suspected. In this paper, we concentrate on a ≃ 1.5 arcmin2 region located along the eastern limb of the remnant where we identify three main classes of outer ejecta: (1) knots dominated by [N II] λλ6548, 6583 emission, (2) knots dominated by oxygen emission lines, especially [O II] λλ7319, 7330, and (3) knots with emission-line strengths similar to the [S II]-strong fast-moving knot (FMK) ejecta commonly seen in the main emission shell. Mean transverse velocities derived from observed proper motion for N-rich, O-rich, and FMK-like knots identified in this region were found to be 8100, 7900, and 7600 km s-1, respectively. The discovery of a significant population of O-rich ejecta situated between the suspected N-rich outer photospheric layer and S-rich FMK-like ejecta suggests that the progenitor's chemical layers were not completely disrupted by the supernova explosion outside of the remnant's northeast and southwest high-velocity "jet" regions. In addition, we find the majority of O-rich outer ejecta at projected locations out beyond the remnant's fastest moving Fe-rich X-ray emission material seen in Chandra and XMM-Newton data along the eastern limb, suggesting that penetration of Fe-rich material up through the S- and Si-rich mantle did not extend past the progenitor's N- or O-rich outer layers for this section of the remnant.