[ITAL]ASCA[/ITAL] Observations of the Supernova Remnant VRO 42.05.01

Abstract

We present the results of our ASCA SIS and GIS observations of the supernova remnant VRO 42.05.01. Our spectral fits indicate that the SNR is isothermal (~8.3 × 106 K), consistent with our ROSAT analysis results. The absorbing column density (~2.9 × 1021 cm-2) obtained from these spectral fits is much smaller than expected for the nominal distance of 5 kpc, which indicates that the line of sight toward VRO 42.05.01 has an unusually low gas density. The spectral resolution of ASCA allows us to determine elemental abundances for the hot X-ray-emitting plasma in the bright ``wing'' component of this remnant. We find that Mg, Si, and Fe are underabundant and attribute these low abundances to the Galactic metallicity gradient and to the location of the remnant in the outer Milky Way.