CO emission from supernova remnants

Abstract

In a search for molecular gas associated with supernova remnants, the CO line has been observed in three optical remnants: the Cygnus Loop, IC 443, and Cas A. In both the Cygnus Loop and IC 443, CO molecules are detected from dense clouds of the order of 100 solar masses, probably located at the edge of the expanding remnants. These are locations of particularly bright optical filaments and strong radio continuum emission. The foreground emission seen in Cas A exhibits changes on a small scale compared with the radio continuum, implying a low filling factor for molecular absorption lines in Cas A.