Investigating the central engine in supernova 2002ap using X-ray observations

Abstract: Supernovae (SNe) are explosions following the death of massive stars. Core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) occur when the heavy iron core of these stars collapse in on themselves. The resulting remnant of the core of a CCSN is a compact object: either a black hole or a neutron star. During the collapse and following explosion, massive amounts of energy and material are expelled. The compact objects emit high-energy radiation. With X-ray astronomy, we can observe it and study the processes behind these events. In this thesis, we determine a limit on the X-ray luminosity of SN 2002ap, and constrain the parameters for the magnetic field of the central object, potentially a neutron star. We model the absorption of the radiation by the material in the surrounding area, the so-called SN ejecta, as well as the absorption by the interstellar medium (ISM). We construct the model using the spectral fitting program XSPEC. Assumptions about the abundance of X-ray absorbing elements in the ejecta and ISM are based on earlier models and the explosion energy is taken from previous estimations. The mass of the ejecta is assumed to be 2.5-5 solar masses and the distance 9.34 Mpc. We compare the absorption model to the data taken by the Chandra telescope in 2018. From this comparison, we determine the maximum luminosity to be L < 2'10^40 erg/s and constrain the magnetic field to a minimum of B > 3'10^13 G.