Webb locates dust reservoirs in two supernovae

Date:
July 5, 2023
Source:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Summary:
Researchers have made major strides in confirming the source of
dust in early galaxies. Observations of two Type II supernovae,
Supernova 2004et (SN 2004et) and Supernova 2017eaw (SN 2017eaw),
have revealed large amounts of dust within the ejecta of each of
these objects. The mass found by researchers supports the theory
that supernovae played a key role in supplying dust to the early
universe.


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==========================================================================
FULL STORY ========================================================================== Researchers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have made major
strides in confirming the source of dust in early galaxies. Observations
of two Type II supernovae, Supernova 2004et (SN 2004et) and Supernova
2017eaw (SN 2017eaw), have revealed large amounts of dust within the
ejecta of each of these objects.

The mass found by researchers supports the theory that supernovae played
a key role in supplying dust to the early universe.

Dust is a building block for many things in our universe -- planets in particular. As dust from dying stars spreads through space, it carries essential elements to help give birth to the next generation of stars
and their planets. Where that dust comes from has puzzled astronomers
for decades. One significant source of cosmic dust could be supernovae
-- after the dying star explodes, its leftover gas expands and cools to
create dust.

"Direct evidence of this phenomenon has been slim up to this point,
with our capabilities only allowing us to study the dust population in
one relatively nearby supernova to date -- Supernova 1987A, 170,000
light-years away from Earth," said lead author Melissa Shahbandeh of
Johns Hopkins University and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. "When the gas cools enough to form dust, that dust
is only detectable at mid-infrared wavelengths provided you have enough sensitivity." For supernovae more distant than SN 1987A like SN 2004et
and SN 2017eaw, both in NGC 6946 about 22 million light-years away,
that combination of wavelength coverage and exquisite sensitivity can
only be obtained with Webb's MIRI (Mid- Infrared Instrument).

The Webb observations are the first breakthrough in the study of dust production from supernovae since the detection of newly formed dust in
SN 1987A with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)
telescope nearly a decade ago.

Another particularly intriguing result of their study isn't just the
detection of dust, but the amount of dust detected at this early stage
in the supernova's life. In SN 2004et, the researchers found more than
5,000 Earth masses of dust.

"When you look at the calculation of how much dust we're seeing in SN
2004et especially, it rivals the measurements in SN 1987A, and it's
only a fraction of the age," added program lead Ori Fox of the Space
Telescope Science Institute.

"It's the highest dust mass detected in supernovae since SN 1987A." Observations have shown astronomers that young, distant galaxies are
full of dust, but these galaxies are not old enough for intermediate mass stars, like the Sun, to have supplied the dust as they age. More massive, short-lived stars could have died soon enough and in large enough numbers
to create that much dust.

While astronomers have confirmed that supernovae produce dust, the
question has lingered about how much of that dust can survive the
internal shocks reverberating in the aftermath of the explosion. Seeing
this amount of dust at this stage in the lifetimes of SN 2004et and SN
2017eaw suggests that dust can survive the shockwave -- evidence that supernovae really are important dust factories after all.

Researchers also note that the current estimations of the mass may be the
tip of the iceberg. While Webb has allowed researchers to measure dust
cooler than ever before, there may be undetected, colder dust radiating
even farther into the electromagnetic spectrum that remains obscured by
the outermost layers of dust.

The researchers emphasized that the new findings are also just a hint at newfound research capabilities into supernovae and their dust production
using Webb, and what that can tell us about the stars from which they
came.

"There's a growing excitement to understand what this dust also implies
about the core of the star that exploded," Fox said. "After looking
at these particular findings, I think our fellow researchers are going
to be thinking of innovative ways to work with these dusty supernovae
in the future." SN 2004et and SN2017eaw are the first of five targets
included in this program.

The observations were completed as part of Webb General Observer
program 2666.

The paper was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on July 5.

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========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
* Images_showing_large_amounts_of_dust_within_Supernova_2004et_and
Supernova_2017eaw ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Melissa Shahbandeh, Arkaprabha Sarangi, Tea Temim, Tama's Szalai,
Ori D
Fox, Samaporn Tinyanont, Eli Dwek, Luc Dessart, Alexei V Filippenko,
Thomas G Brink, Ryan J Foley, Jacob Jencson, Justin Pierel,
Szanna Zsi'ros, Armin Rest, WeiKang Zheng, Jennifer Andrews,
Geoffrey C Clayton, Kishalay De, Michael Engesser, Suvi Gezari,
Sebastian Gomez, Shireen Gonzaga, Joel Johansson, Mansi Kasliwal,
Ryan Lau, Ilse De Looze, Anthony Marston, Dan Milisavljevic,
Richard O'Steen, Matthew Siebert, Michael Skrutskie, Nathan Smith,
Lou Strolger, Schuyler D Van Dyk, Qinan Wang, Brian Williams,
Robert Williams, Lin Xiao, Yi Yang. JWST observations of dust
reservoirs in type IIP supernovae 2004et and 2017eaw. Monthly
Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2023; 523 (4): 6048 DOI:
10.1093/mnras/stad1681 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230705143005.htm

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