Old supernova dust factory revealed at the Galactic center

TL;DR

This study presents infrared observations of dust in an old supernova remnant at the Galactic center, indicating that supernovae can produce and preserve dust in dense environments, supporting their role in early Universe dust formation.

Contribution

It provides direct evidence of surviving dust in an older supernova remnant, demonstrating supernovae's potential as major dust sources in dense galactic environments.

Findings

Detected ~0.02 solar masses of warm dust near Sgr A East

Dust has survived the reverse shock in a dense medium

Supports supernovae as primary dust producers in early galaxies

Abstract

Dust formation in supernova ejecta is currently the leading candidate to explain the large quantities of dust observed in the distant, early Universe. However, it is unclear whether the ejecta-formed dust can survive the hot interior of the supernova remnant (SNR). We present infrared observations of ~0.02 $M_\odot$ of warm (~100 K) dust seen near the center of the ~10,000 yr-old Sgr A East SNR at the Galactic center. Our findings signify the detection of dust within an older SNR that is expanding into a relatively dense surrounding medium ($n_e$ ~ 100 $\mathrm{cm}^{-3}$) and has survived the passage of the reverse shock. The results suggest that supernovae may indeed be the dominant dust production mechanism in the dense environment of early Universe galaxies.