The loss-limited electron energy in SN 1006: Effects of the shock velocity and of the diffusion process

Abstract

The spectral shape of the synchrotron X-ray emission from SN 1006 reveals the fundamental role played by radiative losses in shaping the high-energy tail of the electron spectrum. We analyze data from the XMM-Newton SN 1006 Large Program and confirm that in both nonthermal limbs the loss-limited model correctly describes the observed spectra. We study the physical origin of the observed variations of the synchrotron cutoff energy across the shell. We investigate the role played by the shock velocity and by the electron gyrofactor. We found that the cutoff energy of the synchrotron X-ray emission reaches its maximum value in regions where the shock has experienced its highest average speed. This result is consistent with the loss-limited framework. We also find that the electron acceleration in both nonthermal limbs of SN 1006 proceeds close to the Bohm diffusion limit, the gyrofactor being in the range η ∼ 1.5-4. We finally investigate possible explanations for the low values of cutoff energy measured in thermal limbs. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.