College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences   |   North Carolina State University
Department of Physics
Department of Physics
People
Faculty   |   Faculty & Staff Directory

Stephen P. Reynolds

Professor

Specializes in Astrophysics and Relativity

Contact Information

Physics Department
NC State University
Box 8202
Raleigh, NC 27695
Work Address: Room 400J Riddick Hall
Phone: (919) 515-7751
Fax: (919) 515-1971


Areas of Interest

Dr. Reynolds studies high-energy processes in supernova remnants, active galaxies, and other locales, in particular the acceleration of particles in strong shock waves. Synchrotron X-ray emission from shell supernova remnants, originally proposed in 1981 (Reynolds and Chevalier, ApJ, 245, 912), has now been amply confirmed and has become an important tool for the study of shock acceleration (see Reynolds 2008 for a review). Reynolds has modeled the processes of shock acceleration and magnetic-field amplification in shell remnants, obtaining detailed predicted images and spectral shapes. Electron energies of 100 TeV and above are now routinely deduced to be present in shell supernova remnants. Synchrotron X-ray emission is often mixed with thermal X-ray emission from gas shocked to temperatures of 10 MK and above, and Reynolds has performed observations with various X-ray satellites to study both thermal and nonthermal processes. Observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory have led to the firm identification of the type of Kepler's supernova of 1604 as a thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernova, and to the discovery of the youngest supernova remnant in the Galaxy, G1.9+0.3, only about 100 years old as observed at Earth. The results for Kepler, along with another study of older Type Ia remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud, suggest the possibility of a new class of thermonuclear supernovae, of considerable interest for studies of cosmic nucleosynthesis and the origin of the elements, as well as for the use of Type Ia supernovae for measuring the expansion of the Universe. Reynolds also studies pulsar-wind nebulae, the bubbles of relativistic particles and magnetic field inflated by pulsars born in supernova events. Recent observations of both shell supernova remnants and pulsar-wind nebulae have been done with the Spitzer Space Telescope at infrared wavelengths, producing important information on the supernova event and on the nature of dust grains in the interstellar medium.

Recent Publications

Deep Chandra Observations of the Crab-like Pulsar Wind Nebula G54.1+0.3 and Spitzer Spectroscopy of the Associated Infrared Shell.
Temim, T., Slane, P.O., Reynolds, S.P., Raymond, J.C., & Borkowski, K.J.
ApJ, 710, 309 (2010)

Circumstellar Shells in Absorption in Type Ia Supernovae.
Borkowski, K.J., Blondin, J.M., & Reynolds, S.P.
ApJ, 699, L64 (2009)

Synchrotron-Loss Spectral Breaks in Pulsar-Wind Nebulae and Extragalactic Jets.
Reynolds, S.P.
ApJ, 703, 662 (2009)

X-Ray Spectral Variations in the Youngest Galactic Supernova Remnant G1.9+0.3.
Reynolds, S.P., Borkowski, K.J., Green, D.A., Hwang, U., Harrus, I., & Petre, R.
ApJ 695, L149 -- L152 (2009)

Supernova Remnants at High Energy
invited review for Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics  46, 89-126 (2008)

Ejecta, Dust, and Synchrotron Radiation in SNR B0540-69.3: A More Crab-Like Remnant than the Crab
Williams, B.J., Borkowski, K.J., Reynolds, S.P., Raymond, J.C., Long, K.S., Morse, J., Blair, W.P., Ghavamian, P., Sankrit, R., Hendrick, S.P., Smith, R.C., Points, S., & Winkler, P.F.
ApJ  687, 1054-1069 (2008)

The Youngest Galactic Supernova Remnant: G1.9+0.3.
Reynolds, S.P., Borkowski, K.J., Green, D.A., Hwang, U., Harrus, I., & Petre, R.
ApJ  680, L41-L44 (2008)

The Infrared Detection of the Pulsar Wind Nebula in the Galactic Supernova Remnant 3C 58.
Slane, P., Helfand, D.J., Reynolds, S.P., Gaensler, B.M., Lemiere, A., & Wang, Z.
ApJ  676, L33-L36 (2008)

A Deep Chandra Observation of Kepler's Supernova Remnant: A Type Ia Event with Circumstellar Interaction
Reynolds, S.P., Borkowski, K.J., Hwang, U., Hughes, J.P., Badenes, C., Laming, J.M., & Blondin, J.M.
ApJ  668, L138-L138 (2007)

Dense, Fe-rich Ejecta in Supernova Remnants DEM L238 and DEM L249: A New Class of Type Ia Supernova?
Borkowski, K. J., Hendrick, S.P., & Reynolds, S.P.
ApJ  652, 1259-1267 (2006)

Dust Destruction in Type Ia Supernova Remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Borkowski, K.J., Williams, B.J., Reynolds, S.P., Blair, W.P., Ghavamian, P., Sankrit, R., Hendrick, S.P., Long, K.S., Raymond, J.C., Smith, R.C., Points, S., & Winkler, P.F.
ApJ  642, L141-L144 (2006)

Microphysics of Shock Acceleration from Observations of X-ray Synchrotron Emission from Supernova Remnants
Reynolds, S.P.
SpSciRev  33, 461-465 (arXiv:astro-ph/0308217) (2004)

Magnetohydrodynamic Models for the Structure of Pulsar-Wind Nebulae
Reynolds, S.P.
Proc. IAU Colloquium 192, Supernovae: 10 Years of SN1993J, ed. J.M. Marcaide & K.W. Weiler (Berlin: Springer), posters supplement  161, (arXiv:astro-ph/0308483) (2003)

You can see more of Professor Reynolds' publications at The NCSU Scholarly Publications Repository



Press Releases


About Us   |   News & Events   |   People   |   Administration   |   Classes   |   Undergraduate
Graduate   |   Research   |   Alumni & Visitors   |   Links   |   Contact Us   |   Home
Copyright © 2007 North Carolina State University. All Rights Reserved. Site designed by Academic Web Pages.