2019A&A...629A..51Z

Magnetars are regarded as the most magnetized neutron stars in the Universe. Aiming to unveil what kinds of stars and supernovae can create magnetars, we have performed a state-of-the-art spatially resolved spectroscopic X-ray study of the supernova remnants (SNRs) Kes 73, RCW 103, and N49, which host magnetars 1E 1841-045, 1E 161348-5055, and SGR 0526-66, respectively. The three SNRs are O- and Ne-enhanced and are evolving in the interstellar medium with densities of >1-2cm^–3. The metal composition and dense environment indicate that the progenitor stars are not very massive. The progenitor masses of the three magnetars are constrained to be <20M_☉ (11-15M_☉ for Kes 73, ≤13M_☉ for RCW 103, and ∼13-17M_☉ for N49). Our study suggests that magnetars are not necessarily made from very massive stars, but originate from stars that span a large mass range. The explosion energies of the three SNRs range from 10⁵⁰erg to ∼2x10⁵¹erg, further refuting that the SNRs are energized by rapidly rotating (millisecond) pulsars. We report that RCW 103 is produced by a weak supernova explosion with significant fallback, as such an explosion explains the low explosion energy (∼10⁵⁰erg), small observed metal masses (M_O∼4x10^–2M_☉ and M_Ne∼6 x10^–3M_☉), and sub-solar abundances of heavier elements such as Si and S. Our study supports the fossil field origin as an important channel to produce magnetars, given the normal mass range (M_ZAMS<20M_☉) of the progenitor stars, the low-to-normal explosion energy of the SNRs, and the fact that the fraction of SNRs hosting magnetars is consistent with the magnetic OB stars with high fields.