Detection of knots in the type Iax supernova remnant Pa 30

We present deep, narrowband Gemini North/GMOS images of the Pa 30 nebula that reveal rich small-scale structure in the ejecta filaments. In [S II], the number of detected filaments increases by about an order of magnitude compared to previous studies. The imaging further reveals that the filaments are not smooth radial streaks, but instead are composed of cascades of knots or clumps. The images in [O III] yield the first confirmation that previously detected diffuse [O III] emission in fact originates from the same [S II] filaments. We measure a nebula center consistent with the position of the central star, indicating that the remnant has not received a large transverse kick. The 3σ upper limit on the velocity of the stellar kick is ≲100 km s −1 . Cross-sectional profiles of the filaments in [S II] and [O III] show a central peak on top of a nebula background, the latter being likely due to diffuse emission or unresolved filaments. The median [S II] width of 0.7 is slightly broader than the 0.50 seeing, providing some evidence of partially resolved filaments and implying a characteristic knot diameter of ∼1016 cm. The ≈1″ widths measured in [O III] are consistent with the poorer seeing of the oxygen images. The discovery of this clumpy substructure provides a new observational constraint on models for the origin and evolution of the remarkable filamentary ejecta of Pa 30.