SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL 52076
NASA/GSFC-USRA
GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
GREENBELT
MD USA 20771
Tel: (301) 286-1587 Fax: (301) 286-1684
Medium: 4GBDAT
Subject: SUPERNOVA REMNANTS AND GALACTIC DIFFUSE EMISSION
THE NATURE OF THE CENTRAL SOURCE IN RCW 103
ABSTRACT
We propose to measure the spectral properties of the unresolved point source centered on the SNR RCW 103 to determine its nature. The point source is likely an isolated cooling neutron star (NS) embedded within the remnant. It is coincident with the center of the remnant, has no optical or radio counterpart, shows no pulsations or indication of a synchrotron nebula, and has a luminosity consistent with a cooling NS. The ASCA bandpass is particularly well suited to test this hypothesis by probing the spectrum and differentiating a thermal (blackbody surface emission) or non-thermal (synchrotron) origin. The previous ASCA PV observation reveals unambiguously the long sought after Einstein source, however a deeper observation is needed to characterize the spectrum.
CO-INVESTIGATORS
| CO-I NAME | INSTITUTE | COUNTRY |
|---|
| UNA HWANG | LHEA-NASA/GSFC | USA |
| JONATHAN KEOHANE | LHEA-NASA/GSFC | USA |
| ROBERT PETRE | LHEA-NASA/GSFC | USA |
TARGETS
| TARGET NAME | PRI | RA | DEC | TIME | TC | OFF | GIS | SIS CNT | OBS |
|---|
| 1)1E161348-5055 | 3 | 244.3896 | -51.0398 | 60 ks | N | Y | P | 10.00000 | 1 |