A Deep Near-infrared [Fe ii]+[Si i] Emission Line Image of the Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A

Abstract

We present a long-exposure (∼10 hr), narrowband image of the supernova (SN) remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) centered at 1.644 μ m emission. The passband contains [Fe ii ] 1.644 μ m and [Si i ] 1.645 μ m lines, and our “deep [Fe ii ]+[Si i ] image” provides an unprecedented panoramic view of Cas A, showing both shocked and unshocked SN ejecta, together with shocked circumstellar medium at subarcsecond (∼0.″7 or 0.012 pc) resolution. The diffuse emission from the unshocked SN ejecta has a form of clumps, filaments, and arcs, and their spatial distribution correlates well with that of the Spitzer [Si ii ] infrared emission, suggesting that the emission is likely due to [Si i ] not [Fe ii ] as in shocked material. The structure of the optically invisible western area of Cas A is clearly seen for the first time. The area is filled with many quasi-stationary flocculi (QSFs) and fragments of the disrupted ejecta shell. We identified 309 knots in the deep [Fe ii ]+[Si i ] image and classified them into QSFs and fast-moving knots (FMKs). The comparison with previous optical plates indicates that the lifetime of most QSFs is ≳60 yr. The total H+He mass of QSFs is ≈0.23 M ⊙ , implying that the mass fraction of dense clumps in the progenitor’s mass ejection immediately prior to the SN explosion is about 4%–6%. FMKs in the deep [Fe ii ]+[Si i ] image mostly correspond to S-rich ejecta knots in optical studies, while those outside the southeastern disrupted ejecta shell appear Fe-rich. The mass of the [Fe ii ] line emitting, shocked dense Fe ejecta is ∼3 × 10 −5 M ⊙ .