Spitzer Studies of Supernova ejecta and dust

Details Spitzer Studies of Supernova ejecta and dust Spitzer Studies of Supernova ejecta and dust

May 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007sptz.prop40619k&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #40619

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Scientific paper

We propose to continue our successful mid-infrared studies of supernovae (SNe). Our first goal is to investigate the hypothesis that core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are, or have been, major producers of cosmic dust. Warm grains emit most strongly in the mid-IR which is the ideal wavelength range for following dust condensation in real time. Alternatively, infrared light echoes may arise from pre-existing dust in the circumstellar medium created by mass loss from the progenitor. Discrimination between new dust condensing in supernova ejecta and pre-existing dust can be deduced from the mid-IR spectral energy distribution and evolution. By combining photometric and spectral data from Spitzer, we have been able to show that dust is probably condensing in 3 of our SN IIP targets. This constitutes the first real evidence that dust does condense in the ejecta of typical CCSNe. In GO4, we propose to establish the location and composition of the dust, using the full suite of Spitzer instrumentation. Our second, but equally important goal, is to test explosion models for SNe by measuring the intensity and, where feasible, the evolution of late-epoch fine-structure lines and molecular features. We are testing explosion-model-sensitive predictions of abundances. Our first results have already demonstrated the power of Spitzer spectroscopy: we have achieved the first-ever mid-IR detections of type Ia SNe. From this, we deduced that that the ejecta exhibit significant chemical stucture and show signs of large deviations from spherical symmetry. We also detected the first incidence (since SN1987A) of molecular emission from SiO in a CCSN. Our late-time measurements of stable Nickel have constrained progenitor masses and metallicities. Our programme has already resulted in many 'firsts', and we wish to utilise the remaining lifetime of Spitzer to build up these results into a broader picture of the properties of SNe in the mid-IR, and address issues that cannot be tackled at other wavelengths.

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