G192.8-1.1 has been known as one of the faintest supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Galaxy until the radio continuum of G192.8-1.1 is proved to be thermal by Gao et al. (2011). Yet, the nature of G192.8-1.1 has not been fully investigated. Here, we report the possible discovery of faint non-thermal radio continuum components with a spectral index α ~ 0.56 (Sν∝ν^-α) around G192.8-1.1, while most of the radio continuum emission is thermal. Also, our Arecibo Hi data reveal an Hi shell, expanding with an expansion velocity of 20 – 60 km s-1 , that has an excellent morphological correlation with the radio continuum emission. The estimated physical parameters of the Hi shell and the possible association of non-thermal radio continuum emission with it suggest G192.8-1.1 to be an ~ 0.3 Myr-old SNR. However, the presence of thermal radio continuum implies the presence of early-type stars in the same region. One possibility is that a massive star is ionizing the interior of an old SNR. If it is the case, the electron distribution assumed by the centrally-peaked surface brightness of thermal emission implies that G192.8-1.1 is a “thermal-composite” SNR, rather than a typical shell-type SNR, where the central hot gas that used to be bright in X-rays has cooled down. Therefore, we propose that G192.8-1.1 is an old evolved thermal-composite SNR showing recurring emission in the radio continuum due to a nearby massive star. The infrared image supports that the Hi shell of G192.8-1.1 is currently encountering a nearby star forming region that possibly contains an early type star(s).

We present 12CO J = 2-1 line observations of G54.1+0.3, a composite supernova remnant with a mid-infrared (MIR) loop surrounding the central pulsar wind nebula (PWN). We map an area of 12′×9′ around the PWN and its associated MIR loop. We confirm two velocity components that have been proposed to be possibly interacting with the PWN/MIR-loop; the +53 km s−1 cloud, which appears in contact with the eastern boundary of the PWN and the +23 km s−1 cloud, which has CO emission coincident with the MIR loop. However, we have not found a direct evidence for the interaction in either of these clouds. Instead, we detected an 5'-long arc-like cloud at +15-+23 km s−1 with a systematic velocity gradient of ~3 km s−1 arcmin−1 and broad-line emitting CO gas with widths (FWHM) of ≤7kms−1 in the western interior of the supernova remnant. We discuss their association with the supernova remnant.

We perform kinetic simulations of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) in Type Ia supernova remnants (SNRs) expanding into a uniform interstellar medium (ISM). Bohm-like diffusion due to self-excited Alfven waves is assumed, and simple models for Alfvenic drift and dissipation are adopted. Phenomenological models for thermal leakage injection are considered as well. We find that the preshock gas temperature is the primary parameter that governs the cosmic ray (CR) acceleration efficiency and energy spectrum, while the CR injection rate is a secondary parameter. For SNRs in the warm ISM of T0 ≲ 105K, if the injection fraction is ≳ 10-4, the DSA is efficient enough to convert more than 20% of the SN explosion energy into CRs and the accelerated CR spectrum exhibits a concave curvature flattening to E-1.6, which is characteristic of CR modified shocks. Such a flat source spectrum near the knee energy, however, may not be reconciled with the CR spectrum observed at Earth. On the other hand, SNRs in the hot ISM of T0 ≈106K with a small injection fraction, < 10-4, are inefficient accelerators with less than 10% of the explosion energy getting converted to CRs. Also the shock structure is almost test-particle like and the ensuing CR spectrum can be steeper than E-2. With amplified magnetic field strength of order of 30μG Alfven waves generated by the streaming instability may drift upstream fast enough to make the modified test-particle power-law as steep as E-2.3, which is more consistent with the observed CR spectrum.