Magnetars are regarded as the most magnetized neutron stars in the Universe. Aiming to unveil what kinds of stars and supernovae can create magnetars, we have performed a state-of-the-art spatially resolved spectroscopic X-ray study of the supernova remnants (SNRs) Kes 73, RCW 103, and N49, which host magnetars 1E 1841−045, 1E 161348−5055, and SGR 0526−66, respectively. The three SNRs are O- and Ne-enhanced and are evolving in the interstellar medium with densities of > 1 − 2 cm−3. The metal composition and dense environment indicate that the progenitor stars are not very massive. The progenitor masses of the three magnetars are constrained to be < 20 M⊙ (11–15 M⊙ for Kes 73, ≲13 M⊙ for RCW 103, and ∼13 − 17 M⊙ for N49). Our study suggests that magnetars are not necessarily made from very massive stars, but originate from stars that span a large mass range. The explosion energies of the three SNRs range from 1050 erg to ∼2 × 1051 erg, further refuting that the SNRs are energized by rapidly rotating (millisecond) pulsars. We report that RCW 103 is produced by a weak supernova explosion with significant fallback, as such an explosion explains the low explosion energy (∼1050 erg), small observed metal masses (MO ∼ 4 × 10−2 M⊙ and MNe ∼ 6 × 10−3 M⊙), and sub-solar abundances of heavier elements such as Si and S. Our study supports the fossil field origin as an important channel to produce magnetars, given the normal mass range (MZAMS < 20 M⊙) of the progenitor stars, the low-to-normal explosion energy of the SNRs, and the fact that the fraction of SNRs hosting magnetars is consistent with the magnetic OB stars with high fields.
Dependence of the acceleration of the outer edge of a stellar envelope on supernova explosion energy
