We present Wide Field Camera 3 images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope within a single field in the southern grand design star-forming galaxy M83 .
Based on their size , morphology and photometry in continuum-subtracted H \alpha , [ S ii ] , H \beta , [ O iii ] and [ O ii ] filters , we have identified 60 supernova remnant candidates , as well as a handful of young ejecta-dominated candidates .
A catalog of these remnants , their sizes and , where possible their H \alpha fluxes are given .
Radiative ages and pre-shock densities are derived from those SNR which have good photometry .
The ages lie in the range 2.62 < log ( \tau _ { rad } / { yr } ) < 5.0 , and the pre-shock densities at the blast wave range over 0.56 < n _ { 0 } / { cm ^ { -3 } } < 1680 .
Two populations of SNR have been discovered .
These divide into a nuclear and spiral arm group and an inter-arm population .
We infer an arm to inter-arm density contrast of 4 .
The surface flux in diffuse X-rays is correlated with the inferred pre-shock density , indicating that the warm interstellar medium is pressurised by the hot X-ray plasma .
We also find that the interstellar medium in the nuclear region of M83 is characterized by a very high porosity and pressure and infer a SNR rate of one per 70-150Â yr for the nuclear ( R < 300 ~ { } pc ) region .
On the basis of the number of SNR detected and their radiative ages , we infer that the lower mass of Type II SNe in M83 is M _ { min } = 16 ^ { +7 } _ { -5 } Â M _ { \odot } .
Finally we give evidence for the likely detection of the remnant of the historical supernova , SN1968L .