High resolution CO observations towards the Bright Eastern Knot of the SNR Puppis A

Aims. This paper reports molecular observations towards the Bright Eastern Knot (BEK) in the SNR Puppis A, a feature where radio and X-ray studies suggest that the front is interacting with a dense molecular clump. . We performed high-resolution millimetric observations towards the BEK of A using the SEST telescope in the 12CO J=1–0 and 2–1 lines (beams of 45′′ and 23′′ respectively). More extended, lower angular resolution 12CO J=1–0 observations from NANTEN archival data were also analyzed to obtain a complete picture. . In the velocity range near 16 km s−1, the Puppis A systemic velocity, our study two important properties: (i) no dense molecular gas is detected immediately to the eastern border of the BEK and (ii) the molecular clump detected very to the radiocontinuum maximum is probably located in the foreground along the of sight and has not yet been reached by the SNR shock front. We propose two scenarios to explain the absence of molecular emission eastwards of the BEK of Puppis A. Either the shock front has completely engulfed and destroyed a clump or the shock front is interacting with part of a larger cloud and we not detect CO emission immediately beyond it because the molecules have been by photodissociation and by reactions with photoionized material due to radiative precursor.