The Distribution of Supernova Remnants in the Galaxy

Summary

Observational selection effects and the lack of accurate distances for most Galactic SNRs pose problems for studies of the distribution of SNRs in the Galaxy. However, by comparing the observed Galactic longitude distribution of high surface brightness SNRs with that expected from simple models – which avoids some of the problems with selection effects and the lack of distances – a Gaussian scale length of ≈ 7 kpc in Galactocentric radius is obtained for SNRs.

Introduction

The distribution of SNRs in the Galaxy is of interest for many astrophysical studies, particularly in relation to their energy input into the ISM and for comparison with the distributions of possible progenitor populations. Such studies are, however, not straightforward. First, current catalogues of SNRs miss objects due to observational selection effects. Second, there are no reliable distance estimates available for most identified remnants. Here I use a sample of 182 Galactic SNRs from a recently revised catalogue (this proceedings), all but one of which have observed radio flux densities and angular sizes, to derive the distribution of SNRs in the Galaxy by comparing the observed distribution of bright remnants with Galactic longitude with that expected from simple models.

The Problems

The Selection Effects

Although, as discussed by Aschenbach (this proceedings), many new SNRs may soon be identified from the ROSAT X-ray survey, the identification of SNRs in existing catalogues has, generally, been made at radio wavelengths.