Speaker
Description
The Vela supernova remnant is a canonical example of a middle-aged
composite system in which the SNR reverse shock has disrupted the
central pulsar wind nebula, Vela X. Due to a non-uniform ambient
medium, the shock has propagated asymmetrically, crushing the
northern part of the PWN. The result is a complex structure
characterized by nonthermal X-rays from the pulsar wind, thermal
X-rays from ejecta mixed into the nebula, and gamma-ray emission
in both the GeV and TeV bands, for which the morphology shows
striking differences. Here we report on an XMM Large Project to
study Vela X. We study variations in the spectral index of the
nonthermal X-ray emission, along with the distribution and thermal
properties of the shocked ejecta, and correlate these with the
gamma-ray properties of the PWN. We evaluate these properties using
hydrodynamical simulations in the context of the evolution of PWNe
in composite SNRs, with a view to the ultimate fate of the relativistic
particles produced in these systems.
