How to create Sgr A East. Where did the supernova explode?

Ehlerová, S. and Palouš, J. and Morris, M. R. and Wünsch, R. and Barna, Barnabás (2022) How to create Sgr A East. Where did the supernova explode? ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS, 668. ISSN 0004-6361

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Abstract

Context. Sgr A East is the supernova remnant closest to the centre of the Milky Way. Its age has been estimated to be either very young, around 1-2 kyr, or about 10 kyr, and its exact origin remains unclear. Aims: We aspire to create a simple model of a supernova explosion that reproduces the shape, size, and location of Sgr A East. Methods: Using a simplified hydrodynamical code, we simulated the evolution of a supernova remnant in the medium around the Galactic centre. The latter consists of a nearby massive molecular cloud with which Sgr A East is known to be interacting and a wind from the nuclear star cluster. Results: Our preferred models of the Sgr A East remnant are compatible with an age of around 10 kyr. We also find suitable solutions for older ages, but not for ages younger than 5 kyr. Our simulations predict that the supernova exploded at a distance of about 3.5 pc from the Galactic centre, below the Galactic plane, slightly eastwards from the centre and 3 pc behind it.

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