NASA’s IXPE Telescope Reveals SN 1006 Supernova Theories

NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) telescope Mysterious secrets of supernova remnant SN 1006 revealed. The first polarized x-ray images showed that magnetic fields and high-energy particles were coming from exploding stars.

The lead author of the study is Dr. from Nanjing University. Ping Zhou sees IXPE as an indispensable tool for unraveling the mysteries of magnetic fields. He states: “Magnetic fields have long eluded precise measurement, but IXPE now provides an effective tool to investigate them. Our findings reveal that SN 1006’s magnetic fields are not only turbulent, but also exhibit a different organization.”

supernova star

Located in the constellation Lupus, the star SN 1006 is the only remnant of a massive explosion that occurred when two white stars merged and one of them pulled a large amount of mass from its companion star.

This event, which was first seen with the naked eye in China, Japan, Europe and the Arab world in 1006 AD, has survived for three years until today. It is currently the brightest stellar event recorded in human history..

Marshall Space Flight Center researcher Douglas Swartz points out that SN 1006’s proximity and brightness in x-rays make it an ideal object for IXPE. Researchers theorized that SN 1006’s structure is linked to the orientation of the magnetic field.

Acceleration process

The supernova is aligned with the magnetic field and accelerates effectively, especially in the northeast and southwest directions. The results show A very important connection between magnetic fields and the emergence of high-energy particles from debris. Although the magnetic fields in SN 1006’s crust appear somewhat erratic, IXPE observations suggest a more diffuse direction.

As the shock wave of the initial explosion propagates through the surrounding gas, magnetic fields align with its motion. Charged particles become trapped in these magnetic fields and gain rapid acceleration. These accelerated high-energy particles maintain their strength and turbulence by injecting energy into magnetic fields.

Since its launch in December 2021, IXPE has examined three supernova remnants: Cassiopeia A, Tycho, and now SN 1006.

When the researchers compared the three remnants, they found that SN 1006 had a greater polarity than the others, but all revealed magnetic fields extending beyond the center of the explosion.

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