Young Supernova Remnants: Issues and Prospects

The dynamical evolution of young supernova remnants (YSNRs) is governed by the density distribution in the ejecta and in the ambient medium. Analytic solutions are available for spherically symmetric expansion, including the transition from the ejecta-dominated stage to the Sedov-Taylor stage. YSNRs serve as valuable physics laboratories, in which we can study nucleosynthesis, the early evolution of compact objects, pulsar physics, particle acceleration, the formation and destruction of dust, hydrodynamics at high Reynolds numbers, shock physics at high Mach numbers, and the effects of thermal conduction in interstellar plasmas. There are several challenges in YSNR research: (1) Where are the very young remnants in the Galaxy? We expect 510 to have occurred since Cas A, but with the possible exception of a remnant reported at this conference, none have been seen. (2) Can very young SNRs produce gamma-ray bursts? The acceleration of a shock in the outer layers of a supernova, first suggested by Colgate, can account for gamma-ray bursts such as that believed to be associated with SN 1998bw, and more powerful explosions can account for the energies seen in many cosmological bursts. (3) The Connections Challenge: Can one infer the nature of the supernova and its progenitor star from observations of the YSNR?