A multi-wavelength study of N63A: A SNR within an H II region in the LMC.

The nature and physical environments of SNRs are diverse, and for this reason, the understanding of the properties of nearby SNRs is useful in interpreting the emission from SNRs in remote galaxies where we cannot resolve them. In this regard, the LMC is a unique place to study SNRs due to its proximity, location, and composition compared with our galaxy. We carried out a multi-wavelength study of SNR N63A in the LMC, a young remnant of the SN explosion of one of the most massive (> 40 Msun) stars in a cluster. It is currently expanding within a large H II region formed by OB stars in the cluster and engulfing a molecular cloud (MC). As such, N63A is a prototypical SNR showing the impact of SN explosion on the cluster and its environment. Its morphology varies strongly across the wave bands, e.g. the size in X-ray is three times larger than in optical. However, the bright optical nebula would correspond to a MC swept up by the SNR, and consequently the interaction SNR-MC is limited to the central portion of the SNR. We aimed to study the overall structure of N63A, using near-IR imaging and spectroscopic observations to obtain the physical parameters of the atomic shocks, and also to understand how the SNR- MC interaction works and reveal the structure of the shocked cloud as well as the consequences of the impact of the SNR shock on the MC, comparing information obtained in different wavelengths.