Abstract
It has been suggested1 that the supernova of AD1054, which produced the Crab Nebula, was of Type II and resulted from the explosion of a massive (10–15 M⊙) star. In this picture, the well known optical filaments represent material which originated predominantly in the core of the star and has been accelerated outwards by the pulsar activity. This nebula is supposed to be surrounded by a faint, massive (∼10 M⊙), high velocity (≥5,000 km s−1) shell2 or halo, which was the envelope of the presupernova star. Such an outer halo may have been recently detected at optical wavelengths3. We report here a high sensitivity search at radio wavelengths for the hypothetical outer shell. No shell has been detected and the upper limits indicate that any such shell is fainter than expected from the surface brightness—linear diameter (Σ−D) relation for shell type supernova remnants. Alternative explanations for the optical halo3 are mentioned.
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Wilson, A., Weiler, K. Limits on a radio shell around the Crab Nebula. Nature 300, 155–157 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/300155a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/300155a0
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