AN EXPANDED<i>HST</i>/WFC3 SURVEY OF M83: PROJECT OVERVIEW AND TARGETED SUPERNOVA REMNANT SEARCH

Abstract

We present an optical/NIR imaging survey of the face-on spiral galaxy M83,\nusing data from the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Seven\nfields are used to cover a large fraction of the inner disk, with observations\nin nine broadband and narrowband filters. In conjunction with a deep Chandra\nsurvey and other new radio and optical ground-based work, these data enable a\nbroad range of science projects to be pursued. We provide an overview of the\nWFC3 data and processing and then delve into one topic, the population of young\nsupernova remnants. We used a search method targeted toward soft X-ray sources\nto identify 26 new supernova remnants. Many compact emission nebulae detected\nin [Fe II] 1.644 micron align with known remnants and this diagnostic has also\nbeen used to identify many new remnants, some of which are hard to find with\noptical images. We include 37 previously identified supernova remnants that the\ndata reveal to be &lt;0.5'' in angular size and thus are difficult to characterize\nfrom ground-based data. The emission line ratios seen in most of these objects\nare consistent with shocks in dense interstellar material rather than showing\nevidence of ejecta. We suggest that the overall high elemental abundances in\ncombination with high interstellar medium pressures in M83 are responsible for\nthis result. Future papers will expand on different aspects of the these data\nincluding a more comprehensive analysis of the overall supernova remnant\npopulation.\n