Et tu, Brute?: The Crab Nebula also exploded by jittering jets

Abstract

We identify a point-symmetrical morphology comprised of seven pairs of opposite bays in the core-collapse supernova (CCSN) remnant Crab Nebula, which is consistent with the jittering jets explosion mechanism (JJEM) of CCSNe. We use a recently published infrared image of the Crab Nebula and apply image analysis to fit seven pairs of bays in the Crab, each pair of two bays and a symmetry axis connecting them. The seven symmetry axes intersect close to the explosion site, forming a point-symmetrical structure. We explain the bays as clumps that move slower than the low-density ejecta that the pulsar accelerated. Jittering jets that exploded the Crab formed the clumps during the explosion process. This shows that jittering jets explode even very low-energy CCSNe, as the Crab is, adding to the solidification of the JJEM as the primary explosion mechanism of CCSNe.