Rapid formation of large dust grains in the luminous supernova SN 2010jl

TL;DR

This paper reports the rapid formation of large dust grains in supernova SN 2010jl's dense circumstellar medium, revealing insights into dust growth and survival in supernova environments.

Contribution

It demonstrates the quick formation of large dust grains within months and tracks the transition of dust origin from circumstellar to ejecta in a supernova.

Findings

Dust formed within 40-240 days after explosion.

Detected large (>1 micron) dust grains resistant to destruction.

Observed accelerated dust mass growth at 500-900 days.

Abstract

The origin of dust in galaxies is still a mystery. The majority of the refractory elements are produced in supernova explosions but it is unclear how and where dust grains condense and grow, and how they avoid destruction in the harsh environments of star-forming galaxies. The recent detection of 0.1-0.5 solar masses of dust in nearby supernova remnants suggests in situ dust formation, while other observations reveal very little dust in supernovae the first few years after explosion. Observations of the bright SN 2010jl have been interpreted as pre-existing dust, dust formation or no dust at all. Here we report the rapid (40-240 days) formation of dust in its dense circumstellar medium. The wavelength dependent extinction of this dust reveals the presence of very large (> 1 micron) grains, which are resistant to destructive processes. At later times (500-900 days), the near-IR thermal emission shows an accelerated growth in dust mass, marking the transition of the supernova from a circumstellar- to an ejecta-dominated source of dust. This provides the link between the early and late dust mass evolution in supernovae with dense circumstellar media.