Les forges stellaires : supernovae and their remnants as viewed via X-ray spectro-imaging instruments

Fabio Acero (AIM, CEA Saclay)

In the aftermath of the cataclysmic explosion of stellar objects, the kinetic energy of the supernova will create a hot plasma of ejected stellar material expanding at high velocity. This supernova remnant (SNR) allows us to study the nucleosynthesis and explosion mechanisms even centuries after the explosion via X-ray observations of the thermal emission of the shock heated ejecta. The high velocity shock-wave in the SNR combined with a high magnetic field leads to an efficient particle acceleration in those objects which are believed to be significant contributors to the pool of Galactic cosmic-rays.
In this contribution, I will present the basic physics of SNRs, the current scientific questions, and what we’ve learned from X-rays in the recent years with CCD resolution X-ray telescopes. Since 2023, our understanding of the field is being transformed by the new generation of X-ray micro-calorimeter telescopes XRISM providing unprecedented spectral resolution offering a new way to probe SNR physics. On the methodology side, these 4-dimensional datasets represent an analysis challenges and a discussion on advanced analysis techniques will also be presented.