Investigating the Knots in the Balmer - Dominated LMC Supernova Remnant SNR 0509-68.7 Using MUSE/IFS

Knots are formations of the dense circumstellar matter released during mass loss episodes of supergiant stars or binaries. We investigate the knots in the Balmer – Dominated Supernova Remnant (SNR) SNR 0509-68.7 (LMC), using IFS data of MUSE@VLT. We identify 119 emission lines and extract the equivalent line maps of the SNR, corrected for interstellar extinction. Using selected line ratios, we estimate the electron densities and temperatures of the knots, ranging from 4000 to ≥ 10^6 𝑐𝑚^-3 and from 6000 to 13000 K, respectively. Based on classification diagnostic diagrams, we conclude that the knots radiate due to their ionization by multiple shock waves that followed the supernova explosion. We also show that the forbidden lines [O I] & [O III], seemingly associated with the shell of the SNR, have a pre-shock origin.