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Paper: The Triple Ring Nebula around SN 1987A
Volume: 342, 1604-2004: Supernovae as Cosmological Lighthouses
Page: 194
Authors: Morris, T.; Podsiadlowski, Ph.
Abstract: We present 3-dimensional hydrodynamical calculations to illustrate the formation of the triple ring nebula around SN 1987A. The outer rings most likely originated ∼ 20,000 years before the supernova (SN) as the result of the merger of a 15 + 5MSolar binary after the primary had completed helium core burning. We show that the rapid merging in a rotating envelope leads to enhanced mass ejection at intermediate latitudes, while mass ejection close to the equatorial plane only occurs if the energy deposition exceeds some threshold value. The equatorial ring probably formed later as a rotationally enforced outflow during the blueward transition of the merger product. A small impulse during the merger can explain the observed asymmetry in the Northern/Southern outer rings. Subsequently, the fast blue supergiant wind swept up the ejecta into the well-defined triple-ring structure.
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