We have obtained 2D spectrophotometry of the LMC supernova remnant N132D, achieving a higher spatial resolution than previous studies (Lasker 1978, 1980). A model based on a simple expanding ring of oxygen rich material is shown to be inadequate. We find incomplete arcs of shocked material with individual components of differing compositions. Oxygen rich material appears as rapidly moving small knots in parts of these arcs and in a larger diffuse cloud, all in the central 6-10 pc region of the remnant. We propose a model for this remnant involving the interaction of the supernova blastwave with an incomplete ring of normal composition material to produce reflected shockwaves in the inner regions of the remnant, exciting oxygen rich material.

In the knots of more normal composition a wide range of shock conditions prevail. Apart from 'normal' fully ionized radiative shocks with velocities 100-200 km/s the very steep Balmer decrements in the filaments of some spectra are consistent with partially ionized, slower, shocks. Other spectra show very strong emission lines for the higher ionization species, OIII and NeIII, which could be explained in terms of either strong shocks with long recombination timescales or as very young shocks that have not yet achieved steady flow.