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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2017
X-ray spectra of young supernova remnants (SNR's) are perhaps the most spectacular examples of hot, line-emitting astrophysical plasmas. Heated to temperatures of 1 to 10 keV and enriched with the heavy element products of stellar nucleosynthesis, the plasma inside these SNR's emits prodigiously in lines of 0, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, and Fe. Theoretical models of this emission provide measures of the plasma temperature and density, elemental abundances, and the degree of approach to ionization equilibrium. Thus, astrophysicists are offered the opportunity to test their understanding of the supernova explosion, its interaction with the interstellar medium, and the nucleo-synthetic processes which enrich our galaxy with heavy elements.