What describes the characteristic state of the remnant during the Sedov phase of its evolution?
Answer
The remnant is nearly self-similar.
The evolution of a supernova remnant moves through distinct stages driven by shock physics and energy transfer. Following the brief free expansion phase, the remnant enters the Sedov phase, often referred to as the adiabatic phase. In this stage, the shockwave is still powerful, but the energy is primarily conserved within the expanding bubble of hot gas, leading to a structure where the density, pressure, and temperature profiles maintain a consistent mathematical relationship relative to the distance from the center. This consistent scaling means the remnant structure appears nearly self-similar as it expands and sweeps up mass.

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What Is A Supernova Remnant (SNR)? - Physics Frontier - YouTube
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