A SURVEY OF INFRARED SUPERNOVA REMNANTS IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD

We present a comprehensive infrared study of supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using near-to mid-infrared images taken by Infrared Array Camera (IRAC; 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 mu m) and Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS; 24 and 70 mu m) onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope. Among the 47 bona fide LMC SNRs, 29 were detected in infrared, giving a high detection rate of 62%. All 29 SNRs show emission at 24 mu m, and 20 out of 29 show emission in one or several IRAC bands. We present their 4.5, 8, 24, and 70 mu m images and a table summarizing their Spitzer fluxes. We find that the LMC SNRs are considerably fainter than the Galactic SNRs, and that, among the LMC SNRs, Type Ia SNRs are significantly fainter than core-collapse SNRs. We conclude that the MIPS emission of essentially all SNRs originates from dust emission, whereas their IRAC emissions originate from ionic/molecular lines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons emission, or synchrotron emission. The infrared fluxes show correlation with radio and X-ray fluxes. For SNRs that have similar morphology in infrared and X-rays, the ratios of 24 to 70 mu m fluxes have good correlation with the electron density of hot plasma. The overall correlation is explained well by the emission from collisionally heated silicate grains of 0.1 mu m size, but for mature SNRs with relatively low gas temperatures, the smaller-sized grain population is favored more. For those that appear different between infrared and X-rays, the emission in the MIPS bands is probably from dust heated by shock radiation.