Modified equipartition calculation for supernova remnants

Abstract

Determination of the magnetic field strength in the interstellar medium is one of the more complex tasks of contemporary astrophysics. We can only estimate the order of magnitude of the magnetic field strength by using a few very limited methods. Besides the Zeeman effect and Faraday rotation, the equipartition or minimum-energy calculation is a widespread method for estimating magnetic field strength and energy contained in the magnetic field and cosmic-ray particles by using only the radio synchrotron emission. Despite its approximate character, it remains a useful tool, especially when there are no other data about the magnetic field in a source. In this paper, we give a modified calculation that we think is more appropriate for estimating magnetic field strengths and energetics in supernova remnants (SNRs). We present calculated estimates of the magnetic field strengths for all Galactic SNRs for which the necessary observational data are available. The Web application for calculation of the magnetic field strengths of SNRs is available at http://poincare.matf.bg.ac.rs/∼arbo/eqp/. © 2012. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.