Broadband radio study of the supernova remnant Kes 73

¹ INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy
² INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, Italy
³ ASI, Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, Via della Scienza 5, 09047 Selargius, Italy
⁴ Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany

^★ Corresponding author: sara.loru@inaf.it

Received: 13 June 2025
Accepted: 29 July 2025

Abstract

Context. Strong shocks occurring in supernova remnants (SNRs), and their interaction with an often anisotropic surrounding medium, make SNRs ideal laboratories for studying the production and acceleration of cosmic rays (CRs). Due to their complex morphology and phenomenology, different CR populations are expected to exist throughout the remnants, each characterized by its own energy spectrum. A comprehensive understanding of particle acceleration mechanisms and energetics in SNRs requires spatially resolved spectral and morphological studies.

Aims. We want to highlight the crucial role of high-resolution radio images at high frequencies (≳10 GHz) for studying the spectral properties of different remnant regions and better constraining the models that describe their non-thermal emission from radio to γ-ray wavelengths.

Methods. We studied the integrated radio spectrum of the SNR Kes 73 using single-dish observations performed with the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) between 6.9 and 24.8 GHz, complemented by published data. The high-resolution map at 24.8 GHz was used to search for spatial variations in the spectral index across the remnant.

Results. We present the SRT images of Kes 73, providing the highest-frequency morphological and spectral characterization ever obtained for this source. By combining our 18.7 and 24.8 GHz maps with previously published interferometric images at 1.4 and 5 GHz, we identify a flatter spectrum in the western bright region compared to the rest of the shell. In the same region, we detect overlapping ¹²CO molecular emission and γ-ray radiation, providing strong evidence of SNR–molecular cloud interaction and enhanced CR production. We modelled the non-thermal radio to γ-ray emission from this region, favouring a lepto-hadronic scenario with a maximum electron energy of 1.1 TeV and a magnetic field strength of 25 μG.

Conclusions. The spatial coincidence of the radio-bright, flat-spectrum region with the ¹²CO emission, together with the preferred lepto-hadronic model, strongly supports an ongoing interaction between the Kes 73 shock front and nearby molecular clouds.