Computing models of supernova remnant spectra in galaxy M101 to analyze stellar evolution

Abstract

This research was undertaken to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of selected supernova remnants (SNR's) in the M101 galaxy and to investigate the physical constituents of these potential stellar structures. By the project's end, four supernova remnants in M1Ol were analyzed and modeled, with their chemical and physical components derived from the equations built into the CLOUDY computational program. The differences between the derived computational readings, from CLOUDY, and the actual observed line spectra measurements obtained from other researchers, for each model, were insignificant enough that it is felt it can be said, with much confidence, that the models derived are accurate interpretations of the true physical nature of these four supernova remnants. From these resultant computational models, the type of supernova remnant was determined from certain characteristics, including temperature, ionization parameter, filling factor, hydrogen density, and certain specific elemental abundances. The research was performed in the Spring 2008 semester at Salisbury University, and was overseen by Dr. Joseph Howard.