Constraints on the local interstellar magnetic field from non-thermal emission of SN1006

Abstract

Context. The synchrotron radio morphology of bilateral supernova remnants depends on the mechanisms of particle acceleration and on the viewing geometry. However, unlike X-ray and γ-ray morphologies, the radio emission does not depend on the cut-off region of the parent electron population, making it a simpler and more straightforward tool to investigate the physics of cosmic ray production in supernova remnants (SNRs). Aims. We will use the radio morphology to derive tight constraints on the direction of the local magnetic field and its gradient, and on the obliquity dependence of the electron injection efficiency. Methods. We perform a set of 3D MHD simulations describing the expansion of a spherical SNR through a magnetized medium with a non-uniform magnetic field. From the simulations, we derive non-thermal radio maps and compare them with observations of the SN1006 remnant. Results. We find that the radio morphology of SN1006 at 1 GHz is best-fitted by a model with quasi-parallel injection efficiency, a magnetic field aspect angle of 38° ± 4° with the line of sight, and a gradient of the field strength toward the galactic plane, higher then the expected variations of the large scale field of the Galaxy. Conclusions. We conclude that the radio limbs of SN1006 are polar caps that do not lie in the plane of sky. The study of the synchrotron radio emission of SNRs is of crucial importance to derive information on the galactic magnetic field in the vicinity of the remnants, and to gather more hints on the actual injection efficiency scenario.