Vikram Dwarkadas , Lewis Ball , James Caswell , Anne Green , Simon Johnston , Brian Schmidt , Mark Wardle, PASA, 17 (1), 83.
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Title/Abstract Page: SUPERNOVA REMNANTS, PULSARS AND
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Introduction
The study of Supernova Remnants (SNRs) and their interaction with the surrounding medium has made significant advances in the last decade or so, thanks in large part to detailed observations of SN 1987A and SN 1993J. The vast amounts of data obtained over several years of study have considerably improved our understanding of the evolution of young supernova remnants in general. The coincidence of occurrence of SN 1998bw within the error circle of the gamma-ray burst GRB 980425, suggesting a relationship between the two objects and new avenues to advance our understanding of them, has added an exciting new dimension to our investigation of supernovae (SNe).
With a view to discuss the latest results on these and similar topics, The Special Research Centre for Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Sydney organised a workshop on Supernova Remnants, Pulsars and the Interstellar medium. The two day workshop (March 18-19 1999) brought together more than 65 observers and theorists from all over Australia (and even a few from overseas), providing a forum for frank discussion and vigorous interaction. The topic was broadly interpreted, and the agenda for the meeting was kept open to accommodate talks that would be interesting to the audience, even if they did not easily fall into one of the categories. Graduate students were especially encouraged to attend and present their work.
A discussion of supernovae naturally leads one to think of the stellar remnants that remain after the explosion. In recent years large-scale surveys have led to a large increase in the number of known pulsars. Thus pulsars and the nebulae around them formed an important part of the workshop, with two sessions being devoted to the study of pulsars and their properties, especially radio pulsars. There were also interesting reviews presented on contemporary topics such as Magnetars and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars.
Finally the last session was devoted to the study of masers in SNRs, a field that, after a period of dormancy, is enjoying a great resurgence nowadays. Intriguing new observations were revealed, with the promise of more to come.
The following summary captures the essence of the science that was discussed at the workshop. The various sections correspond to the sessions at the meeting. Further details, and abstracts of talks, are available at the meeting home page:
http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/
vikram/snrwkshop/snmain.html
Next Section: Supernova remnants and the
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