An astrophysics data program investigation of HEAO-2/EXOSAT data: An analysis of thermal x ray emission from supernova remnants

摘要

The goal of the project was the study of the thermal x-ray spectra of supernova remnants (SNR's) including nonequilibrium ionization (NEI) effects in a model-independent manner. The data for the study were extracted from archival sources and come from instruments onboard Einstein, EXOSTAT, and Tenma. A number of important scientific results were obtained, and they are summarized below. The most important aspect of the study was the development of the NEI spectral model and the demonstration that it provided an excellent fit to the data from SNR's in various different phases of evolution.