G192.8-1.1: A CANDIDATE OF AN EVOLVED THERMAL COMPOSITE SUPERNOVA REMNANT REIGNITED BY NEARBY MASSIVE STARS

G192.8-1.1 has been known as one of the faintest supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Galaxy until the radio continuum of G192.8-1.1 is proved to be thermal by Gao et al. (2011). Yet, the nature of G192.8-1.1 has not been fully investigated. Here, we report the possible discovery of faint non-thermal radio continuum components with a spectral index α ~ 0.56 (S ν ∝ν -α ) around G192.8-1.1, while most of the radio continuum emission is thermal. Also, our Arecibo HI data reveal an HI shell, expanding with an expansion velocity of 20-60 km s -1 , that has an excellent morphological correlation with the radio continuum emission. The estimated physical parameters of the HI shell and the possible association of non-thermal radio continuum emission with it suggest G192.8-1.1 to be an ~ 0.3 Myr-old SNR. However, the presence of thermal radio continuum implies the presence of early-type stars in the same region. One possibility is that a massive star is ionizing the interior of an old SNR. If it is the case, the electron distribution assumed by the centrally-peaked surface brightness of thermal emission implies that G192.8-1.1 is a “thermal-composite” SNR, rather than a typical shell-type SNR, where the central hot gas that used to be bright in X-rays has cooled down. Therefore, we propose that G192.8-1.1 is an old evolved thermal-composite SNR showing recurring emission in the radio continuum due to a nearby massive star. The infrared image supports that the HI shell of G192.8-1.1 is currently encountering a nearby star forming region that possibly contains an early type star(s).