Shock Chemistry and Dust Processing in Interacting Supernova Remnants

Supernova remnants interacting with dense moelcular clouds provide astrochemical laboratories to study heating and cooling of the dense ISM, shock chemistry, destruction and sputtering of dust, and the reformation of molecules. Water is expected to be a major coolant for shocks into dense gas, yet the number of remnants in which IR lines of hydroxyl and water are detected is very limited. We propose Herschel PACS, SPIRE and HIFI observations of three remnants with particularly high shocked gas densities, high dust and IR line luinosities, and extreme ionization environments. The scientific objectives of this proposal are: (1) to determine the abundance and excitation of oxygenbearing molecules, (2) to study the oxygen chemistry in dense molecular gas shocked by powerful supernova remnant blast waves, and (3) to directly measure dust processing and constrain the effects of dust on shocks and oxygen chemistry. truncated!, Please see actual data for full text [truncated!, Please see actual data for full text]