Multifibre spectroscopy of the supernova remnant candidate RCW 114

RCW 114 is a filamentary nebula of about 250 arcmin diameter. Based on its large diameter-to-filament-width ratio, the expansion velocity, distance an d size of the shell, it has been suggested that RCW 114 is a supernova remn ant in its momentum-conserving phase. Confirmation of this identification i s important, as the large angular size and extensive optical emission of th is object will allow for detailed study to improve our knowledge of superno va remnants and their interaction with the interstellar medium. We have used the FLAIR instrument on the UK Schmidt Telescope to obtain opt ical spectra of several filaments in RCW 114. These confirm that the emissi on is being produced by the interaction of the shock wave of a supernova re mnant with the surrounding interstellar medium. We also obtained narrow-ban d H alpha + [N II] and [S II] images to examine the spatial variation in io nization structure.