Abstract

Supernovae are some of the most spectacular explosions in the Universe and their shocks produce the most energetic particles detected on Earth. Supernova remnant (SNR) shocks interact with their surrounding medium, heating and compressing it, as well as accelerating particles to cosmic ray (CR) energies, radio, infrared and X-ray observations of these objects make some of the most beautiful images in astrophysics. However, SNRs do not just make pretty pictures, they play crucial roles in the chemical evolution and structure of galaxies, as well as being ideal laboratories for detailed studies of strong shock physics, particle acceleration and magnetic field amplification mechanisms. In this talk I will discuss our studies of X-ray and gamma-ray emission from SNRs, which have allowed us to gain insight into the nature of particle acceleration as well as the interaction of strong shocks with dense media such as molecular clouds. I will present our most recent results on these topics and outline what we want to look into in the future.