Deep Radio, Optical, and Infrared Observations of SGR 1900+14

Abstract

We present HST/STIS, Keck J- and K_s-band, and VLA 332-MHz and 1400-MHz images of the region around the Soft Gamma-ray Repeater SGR 1900+14. No non-stellar sources were detected at the position of SGR 1900+14, giving 3-sigma limits of S_{332 MHz} < 6 mJy, S_{1.4 GHz} < 1.5 mJy, m_{50CCD} > 29.0 mag, J > 22.8 mag, K_s > 20.8 mag (point sources), and S_{332 MHz} < 6.1 mJy arcmin^{-2}, S_{1.4 GHz} < 6.2 mJy arcmin^{-2} (extended emission). Given the very high extinction, the STIS and J-band non-detections are not constraining, but the K_s-band limit rules out basic accretion disk models for SGR 1900+14, and is almost comparable in depth to the K_s-band detection for the anomalous X-ray pulsar 4U 0142+61. Finally, we report the detection in this field of three new candidate supernova remnants, SNRs G043.5+00.6, G042.0-00.1, and G041.5+00.4.