On the dust abundance gradients in late-type galaxies: II. Analytical models as evidence for massive interstellar dust growth in SINGS galaxies

TL;DR

This study uses analytical models and observations of SINGS galaxies to show that dust growth in the interstellar medium is significant, with minimal destruction, challenging previous assumptions about dust evolution.

Contribution

It provides evidence that dust in late-type galaxies mainly grows in the ISM rather than being destroyed, highlighting the importance of non-stellar dust production.

Findings

Dust gradients are steeper than metallicity gradients.

Little evidence for dust destruction by supernova shocks.

Significant dust growth occurs in the interstellar medium.

Abstract

We use simple analytical models of the build up of the dust component and compare these with radial dust distributions derived from observations of SINGS galaxies. The observations show that dust gradients are indeed typically steeper than the corresponding metallicity gradients and our models indicate very little dust destruction, but significant dust growth in the ISM for most of these galaxies. Hence, we conclude that there is evidence for significant non-stellar dust production, and little evidence for dust destruction due to SNe shock waves. We find that dust is reprocessed rather than destroyed by shocks from SNe. Finally, we argue that dust abundances derived using standard methods may be overestimated, since even very 'generous' estimates of the metallicity results in dust-to-metals ratios above unity in several cases, if the dust abundances given in the literature are taken at face value.