Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jun 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006aas...208.4305b&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society Meeting 208, #43.05; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.117
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We present high resolution 11.7 and 18.3 um mid-IR images of SN 1987A obtained on day 6526 since the explosion with the Thermal-Region Camera and Spectrograph (T-ReCS) attached to the Gemini South 8m telescope. The images show that the emission arises from the equatorial ring (ER). Near contemporaneous spectraobtained on day 6184 with the MIPS, IRAC and IRS instruments on board the Spitzer Space Telescope show that the emission consists of thermal emission from silicate dust. The dust temperature is 166(+18,-12) K, and the emitting dust mass is 2.6(+2.0,-1.4) 10-6 Solar Mass. These data together with X-ray images obtained by Chandra, UV-Optical images obtained by HST, and radio synchrotron images obtained by the ATCA, suggest that the dust giving rise to the emission could be eithercollisionally heated by the X-ray emitting plasma, or it could be radiatively heated in the dense UV-optical knots that are overrun by the advancing supernova blast wave. In either case the dust-to-gas mass ratio in the circumstellar medium around the supernova is significantly lower than that in the general interstellar medium of the LMC, suggesting either a low condensation efficiency in the wind of the progenitor star, or the efficient destruction of the dust by the SN blast wave. Overall, we are witnessing the interaction of the SN blast wave with its surrounding medium, creating an environment that is rapidly evolving at all wavelengths. Continuous multi wavelengths observations of SN 1987A such as these provide unique snapshots of the very early evolution of supernova remnant, and shed some light on the role of supernovae in the dust production in the universe.
Arendt Richard
Bouchet Patrice J.
Challis Peter
Danziger I.
de Buizer I.
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