  Despite their importance, a detailed understanding of Type Ia supernovae (SNe
Ia) remains elusive. X-ray measurements of the element distributions in
supernova remnants (SNRs) offer important clues for understanding the explosion
and nucleosynthesis mechanisms for SNe Ia. However, it is challenging to
observe the entire ejecta mass in X-rays for young SNRs, because the central
ejecta may not have been heated by the reverse shock yet. Here we present over
200 kilosecond Chandra observations of the Type Ia SNR G344.7-0.1, whose age is
old enough for the reverse shock to have reached the SNR center, providing an
opportunity to investigate the distribution of the entire ejecta mass. We
reveal a clear stratification of heavy elements with a centrally peaked
distribution of the Fe ejecta surrounded by intermediate-mass elements (IMEs:
Si, S, Ar Ca) with an arc-like structure. The centroid energy of the Fe K
emission is marginally lower in the central Fe-rich region than in the outer
IME-rich regions, suggesting that the Fe ejecta were shock-heated more
recently. These results are consistent with the prediction for standard SN Ia
models, where the heavier elements are synthesized in the interior of an
exploding white dwarf. We find, however, that the peak location of the Fe K
emission is slightly offset to the west with respect to the geometric center of
the SNR. This apparent asymmetry is likely due to the inhomogeneous density
distribution of the ambient medium, consistent with our radio observations of
the ambient molecular and neutral gas.
