Optical structure and proper-motion age of the oxygen-rich supernova remnant 1E 0102-7219 in the small magellanic cloud

We present new optical emission-line images of the young SNR 1E 0102-7219 in the SMC obtained with the ACS on HST. This object is a member of the oxygen-rich class of SNRs showing strong oxygen, neon, and other metalline emissions in its optical and X-ray spectra, and an absence of hydrogen and helium. The progenitor of 1E 0102-7219 may have been a Wolf-Rayet star that underwent considerable mass loss prior to exploding as a Type Ib/c or IIL/b supernova. The ejecta in this SNR are generally fast-moving (V > 1000 km s(-1)) and emit as they are compressed and heated in the reverse shock. In 2003 we obtained optical [O III], H alpha, and continuum images with the ACS Wide Field Camera. The [O III] image through the F475W filter captures the full velocity range of the ejecta and shows considerable high-velocity emission projected in the middle of the SNR that was Doppler-shifted out of the narrow F502N bandpass of a previous WFPC2 image from 1995. Using these two epochs separated by similar to 8.5 yr, we measure the transverse expansion of the ejecta around the outer rim in this SNR for the first time at visible wavelengths. From proper-motion measurements of 12 ejecta filaments, we estimate a mean expansion velocity for the bright ejecta of similar to 2000 km s(-1) and an inferred kinematic age for the SNR of similar to 2050 +/- 600 yr. The age we derive from HST data is about twice that inferred by Hughes et al. from X-ray data, although our 1 sigma error bars overlap. Our proper-motion age is consistent with an independent optical kinematic age derived by Eriksen et al. in 2003 using spatially resolved [O III] radial-velocity data. We derive an expansion center that lies very close to conspicuous X-ray and radio hot spots, which could indicate the presence of a compact remnant (neutron star or black hole).