From flux to dust mass: Does the grain-temperature distribution matter for estimates of cold dust masses in supernova remnants?

The amount of dust estimated from infrared to sub-millimetre (submm) observations strongly depends on assumptions of different grain sizes, compositions and optical properties. Here we use a simple model of thermal emission from cold silicate/carbon dust at a range of dust grain temperatures and fit the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the Crab Nebula as a test. This can lower the derived dust mass for the Crab by ~50% and 30-40% for astronomical silicates and amorphous carbon grains compared to recently published values (0.25M_sun -> 0.12M_sun and 0.12M_sun -> 0.072M_sun, respectively), but the implied dust mass can also increase by as much as almost a factor of six (0.25M_sun -> 1.14M_sun and 0.12M_sun -> 0.71M_sun) depending on assumptions regarding the sizes/temperatures of the coldest grains. The latter values are clearly unrealistic due to the expected metal budget, though. Furthermore, we show by a simple numerical experiment that if a cold-dust component does have a grain-temperature distribution, it is almost unavoidable that a two-temperature fit will yield an incorrect dust mass estimate. But we conclude that grain temperatures is not a greater uncertainty than the often poorly constrained emissivities (i.e., material properties) of cosmic dust, although there is clearly a need for improved dust emission models. The greatest complication associated with deriving dust masses still arises in the uncertainty in the dust composition.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, to appear in MNRA

A Dust Twin of Cas A: Cool Dust and 21-micron Silicate Dust Feature in the Supernova Remnant G54.1+0.3

We present infrared (IR) and submillimeter observations of the Crab-like supernova remnant (SNR) G54.1+0.3 including 350 micron (SHARC-II), 870 micron (LABOCA), 70, 100, 160, 250, 350, 500 micron (Herschel) and 3-40 micron (Spitzer). We detect dust features at 9, 11 and 21 micron and a long wavelength continuum dust component. The 21 micron dust coincides with [Ar II] ejecta emission, and the feature is remarkably similar to that in Cas A. The IRAC 8 micron image including Ar ejecta is distributed in a shell-like morphology which is coincident with dust features, suggesting that dust has formed in the ejecta. We create a cold dust map that shows excess emission in the northwestern shell. We fit the spectral energy distribution of the SNR using the continuous distributions of ellipsoidal (CDE) grain model of pre-solar grain SiO2 that reproduces the 21 and 9 micron dust features and discuss grains of SiC and PAH that may be responsible for the 10-13 micron dust features. To reproduce the long-wavelength continuum, we explore models consisting of different grains including Mg2SiO4, MgSiO3, Al2O3, FeS, carbon, and Fe3O4. We tested a model with a temperature-dependent silicate absorption coefficient. We detect cold dust (27-44 K) in the remnant, making this the fourth such SNR with freshly-formed dust. The total dust mass in the SNR ranges from 0.08-0.9 Msun depending on the grain composition, which is comparable to predicted masses from theoretical models. Our estimated dust masses are consistent with the idea that SNe are a significant source of dust in the early Universe.Comment: MNRAS: accepted on June 28, 2018 and published on July 4, 201

IllustrisTNG and S2COSMOS: possible conflicts in the evolution of neutral gas and dust

We investigate the evolution in galactic dust mass over cosmic time through (i) empirically derived dust masses using stacked submillimetre fluxes at 850 μm in the COSMOS field and (ii) dust masses derived using a robust post-processing method on the results from the cosmological hydrodynamical simulation IllustrisTNG. We effectively perform a ‘self-calibration’ of the dust mass absorption coefficient by forcing the model and observations to agree at low redshift and then compare the evolution shown by the observations with that predicted by the model. We create dust mass functions (DMFs) based on the IllustrisTNG simulations from 0 < z < 0.5 and compare these with previously observed DMFs. We find a lack of evolution in the DMFs derived from the simulations, in conflict with the rapid evolution seen in empirically derived estimates of the low-redshift DMF. Furthermore, we observe a strong evolution in the observed mean ratio of dust mass to stellar mass of galaxies over the redshift range 0 < z < 5, whereas the corresponding dust masses from IllustrisTNG show relatively little evolution, even after splitting the sample into satellites and centrals. The large discrepancy between the strong observed evolution and the weak evolution predicted by IllustrisTNG plus post-processing may be explained by either strong cosmic evolution in the properties of the dust grains or limitations in the model. In the latter case, the limitation may be connected to previous claims that the neutral gas content of galaxies does not evolve fast enough in IllustrisTNG

Dust production in supernovae: the case of Kepler's SNR [Abstract]

We compare the submillimetre (submm) emission with the Hi and CO distribution towards Kepler's supernova remnant (SNR), and conclude that 0.1 to 1.2 M⊙ of dust originates from Kepler. Such rates are sufficient to explain the origin of dust in high redshift galaxies

Far-infrared Polarization of the Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A with SOFIA HAWC+

We present polarization observations of the young supernova remnant (SNR) Cas A using the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera-Plus (HAWC+) instrument onboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The polarization map at 154 microns reveals dust grains with strong polarization fractions (5 - 30 percent), supporting previous measurements made over a smaller region of the remnant at 850 microns. The 154 microns emission and the polarization signal is coincident with a region of cold dust observed in the southeastern shell and in the unshocked central ejecta. The highly polarized far-IR emission implies the grains are large (greater than 0.14 microns) and silicate-dominated. The polarization level varies across the SNR, with an inverse correlation between the polarization degree and the intensity and smaller polarization angle dispersion for brighter SNR emission. Stronger polarization is detected between the bright structures. This may result from a higher collision rate between the gas and dust producing a lower grain alignment efficiency where the gas density is higher. We use the dust emission to provide an estimate of the magnetic field strength in Cas A using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. The high polarization level is direct evidence that grains are highly elongated and strongly aligned with the magnetic field of the SNR. The dust mass from the polarized region is 0.14+-0.04 Msun, a lower limit of the amount of dust present within the ejecta of Cas A. This result strengthens the hypothesis that core-collapse SNe are an important contributor to the dust mass in high redshift galaxies.Comment: MNRAS, accepted (18 pages with 14 figures

A Galactic Dust Devil: far-infrared observations of the Tornado Supernova Remnant candidate

We present complicated dust structures within multiple regions of the candidate supernova remnant (SNR) the `Tornado' (G357.7-0.1) using observations with Spitzer and Herschel. We use Point Process Mapping, PPMAP, to investigate the distribution of dust in the Tornado at a resolution of 8", compared to the native telescope beams of 5-36". We find complex dust structures at multiple temperatures within both the head and the tail of the Tornado, ranging from 15 to 60K. Cool dust in the head forms a shell, with some overlap with the radio emission, which envelopes warm dust at the X-ray peak. Akin to the terrestrial sandy whirlwinds known as `Dust Devils', we find a large mass of dust contained within the Tornado. We derive a total dust mass for the Tornado head of 16.7 solar masses, assuming a dust absorption coefficient of kappa_300 =0.56m^2 kg^1, which can be explained by interstellar material swept up by a SNR expanding in a dense region. The X-ray, infra-red, and radio emission from the Tornado head indicate that this is a SNR. The origin of the tail is more unclear, although we propose that there is an X-ray binary embedded in the SNR, the outflow from which drives into the SNR shell. This interaction forms the helical tail structure in a similar manner to that of the SNR W50 and microquasar SS433.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures + 3 appendix figures. Accepted to be published in MNRA

Herschel Exploitation of Local Galaxy Andromeda (HELGA) III: The Star Formation Law in M31

We present a detailed study of how the Star Formation Rate (SFR) relates to the interstellar medium (ISM) of M31 at ~140pc scales. The SFR is calculated using the far-ultraviolet and 24um emission, corrected for the old stellar population in M31. We find a global value for the SFR of 0.25+/-0.05Msun/yr and compare this with the SFR found using the total far-infrared (FIR) luminosity. There is general agreement in regions where young stars dominate the dust heating. Atomic hydrogen (HI) and molecular gas (traced by carbon monoxide, CO) or the dust mass is used to trace the total gas in the ISM. We show that the global surface densities of SFR and gas mass place M31 amongst a set of low-SFR galaxies in the plot of Kennicutt (1998b). The relationship between SFR and gas surface density is tested in six radial annuli across M31, assuming a power law relationship with index, N. The star formation law using total gas traced by HI and CO gives a global index of N=2.03+/-0.04, with a significant variation with radius; the highest values are observed in the 10kpc ring. We suggest that this slope is due to HI turning molecular at ~10Msun/pc2. When looking at H2 regions, we measure a higher mean SFR suggesting a better spatial correlation between H2 and SF. We find N~0.6 with consistent results throughout the disk - this is at the low end of values found in previous work and argues against a superlinear SF law on small scales.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

JWST NIRCam Observations of SN 1987A: Spitzer Comparison and Spectral Decomposition

JWST NIRCam observations at 1.5-4.5 $\mu$m have provided broad and narrow band imaging of the evolving remnant of SN 1987A with unparalleled sensitivity and spatial resolution. Comparing with previous marginally spatially resolved Spitzer IRAC observations from 2004-2019 confirms that the emission arises from the circumstellar equatorial ring (ER), and the current brightness at 3.6 and 4.5 $\mu$m was accurately predicted by extrapolation of the declining brightness tracked by IRAC. Despite the regular light curve, the NIRCam observations clearly reveal that much of this emission is from a newly developing outer portion of the ER. Spots in the outer ER tend to lie at position angles in between the well-known ER hotspots. We show that the bulk of the emission in the field can be represented by 5 standard spectral energy distributions (SEDs), each with a distinct origin and spatial distribution. This spectral decomposition provides a powerful technique for distinguishing overlapping emission from the circumstellar medium (CSM) and the supernova (SN) ejecta, excited by the forward and reverse shocks respectively.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 16 pages, 12 figures. 2 animations not included her

High angular resolution ALMA images of dust and molecules in the SN 1987A ejecta

We present high angular resolution (~80 mas) ALMA continuum images of the SN 1987A system, together with CO J = 2 $\to$ 1, J = 6 $\to$ 5, and SiO J = 5 $\to$ 4 to J = 7 $\to$ 6 images, which clearly resolve the ejecta (dust continuum and molecules) and ring (synchrotron continuum) components. Dust in the ejecta is asymmetric and clumpy, and overall the dust fills the spatial void seen in Hα images, filling that region with material from heavier elements. The dust clumps generally fill the space where CO J = 6 $\to$ 5 is fainter, tentatively indicating that these dust clumps and CO are locationally and chemically linked. In these regions, carbonaceous dust grains might have formed after dissociation of CO. The dust grains would have cooled by radiation, and subsequent collisions of grains with gas would also cool the gas, suppressing the CO J = 6 $\to$ 5 intensity. The data show a dust peak spatially coincident with the molecular hole seen in previous ALMA CO J = 2 $\to$ 1 and SiO J = 5 $\to$ 4 images. That dust peak, combined with CO and SiO line spectra, suggests that the dust and gas could be at higher temperatures than the surrounding material, though higher density cannot be totally excluded. One of the possibilities is that a compact source provides additional heat at that location. Fits to the far-infrared–millimeter spectral energy distribution give ejecta dust temperatures of 18–23 K. We revise the ejecta dust mass to M dust = 0.2–0.4 ${M}_{\odot }$ for carbon or silicate grains, or a maximum of <0.7 ${M}_{\odot }$ for a mixture of grain species, using the predicted nucleosynthesis yields as an upper limit

ALMA observations of molecules in Supernova 1987A

Supernova (SN) 1987A has provided a unique opportunity to study how SN ejecta evolve in 30 years time scale. We report our ALMA spectral observations of SN 1987A, taken in 2014, 2015 and 2016, with detections of CO, 28SiO, HCO+ and SO, with weaker lines of 29SiO. We find a dip in the SiO line profiles, suggesting that the ejecta morphology is likely elongated. The difference of the CO and SiO line profiles is consistent with hydrodynamic simulations, which show that Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities causes mixing of gas, with heavier elements much more disturbed, making more elongated structure. Using 28SiO and its isotopologues, Si isotope ratios were estimated for the first time in SN 1987A. The estimated ratios appear to be consistent with theoretical predictions of inefficient formation of neutron rich atoms at lower metallicity, such as observed in the Large Magellanic Cloud (about half a solar metallicity). The deduced large HCO+ mass and small SiS mass, which are inconsistent to the predictions of chemical model, might be explained by some mixing of elements immediately after the explosion. The mixing might have made some hydrogen from the envelope to sink into carbon and oxygen-rich zone during early days after the explosion, enabling the formation of a substantial mass of HCO+. Oxygen atoms may penetrate into silicon and sulphur zone, suppressing formation of SiS. Our ALMA observations open up a new window to investigate chemistry, dynamics and explosive-nucleosynthesis in supernovae