New Hubble Space Telescope observations of high-velocity Ly and H in SNR 1987A
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We describe and model high-velocity (15,000 km s-1) Ly and H emission from the supernova remnant SNR 1987A seen in 1997 September and October with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. Part of this emission comes from a reverse shock located at 75% of the radius of the inner boundary of the inner circumstellar ring and confined within 30 of the equatorial plane. Departure from axisymmetry in the Ly and H emission correlates with that seen in nonthermal radio emission and reveals an asymmetry in the circumstellar gas distribution. We also see diffuse high-velocity Ly emission from supernova debris inside the reverse shock that may be due to excitation by nonthermal particles accelerated by the shock.