Shocks in the Cygnus Loop supernovae remnant
Friday, June 27, 2014 - 06:00
in Astronomy & Space
(Phys.org) —Supernova remnants (SNRs) play a vital role in the lifecycle of dust in the interstellar medium. As shockwaves from supernovae sweep up interstellar material, they heat the gas and dust, and destroy a significant fraction of the grains, releasing refractory elements back into the gas phase. The shock-heated dust emits strongly at infrared wavelengths where many atomic and molecular species emit diagnostically useful lines. Thus, infrared observations of SNR shocks are crucial for studying shock properties.