The MOST Galactic Center Survey - IV. Supernova remnant distribution, small-diameter supernova remnants, and supernova remnant-pulsar coincidences

The Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) has been used to make a new 843-MHz survey of the Galactic Centre region. This paper considers the effect of the 17 new candidate supernova remnants (SNRs) discovered on the observed longitude distribution of SNRs in the Galaxy. An excess of SNRs by a factor of 2 in number over that expected for a uniform Galaxy-wide distribution is identified, and the implications are discussed. Also described is a search for small-diameter SNRs in this region, in which one possible candidate has been found. Finally, the relationship between the new SNR candidates and known pulsars in the region is examined, but no compelling evidence is found for a new SNR-pulsar association.